SNOMED CT Coding and Analytics of in vitro Diagnostics Observations

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Clinical Microbiology
• Health Data Standards

Background:

• Accurate encoding of microbiology laboratory data is crucial for patient care and antimicrobial stewardship.
• Standardized terminologies facilitate data interoperability and analysis in healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the suitability of SNOMED Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) for representing complex microbiology data.
• To determine if SNOMED CT can fully describe multidrug resistance (MDR) and breakpoint assignments at the specimen level.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of SNOMED CT's existing concepts and hierarchies relevant to microbiology.
• Mapping of common microbiology laboratory data elements, including antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results and resistance mechanisms, to SNOMED CT codes.
• Assessment of SNOMED CT's capability to capture specimen-specific details and breakpoint information.

Main Results:

• SNOMED CT demonstrates significant potential for encoding detailed microbiology laboratory findings.
• The terminology can represent multidrug resistance patterns and breakpoint assignments effectively.
• Specific SNOMED CT concepts require refinement or expansion to fully capture all nuances of microbiology data.

Conclusions:

• SNOMED CT is a capable standard for encoding microbiology laboratory data, supporting comprehensive descriptions of antimicrobial resistance.
• Further development within SNOMED CT could enhance its utility for clinical microbiology and public health surveillance.
• Utilizing SNOMED CT can improve the consistency and depth of electronic health record data for infectious diseases.