Promoting interoperability between SNOMED CT and ICD-11: lessons learned from the pilot project mapping between...

Area of Science:

• Medical informatics
• Health terminology standardization
• Clinical coding systems

Background:

• The need for interoperable health terminologies is critical for global health data exchange.
• SNOMED CT and ICD-11 are leading coding systems with distinct structures and purposes.
• Mapping between these systems is essential for data integration and analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of bidirectional mapping between SNOMED CT and the ICD-11 Foundation.
• To identify and analyze challenges encountered during the mapping process.
• To inform future collaborative efforts between SNOMED International and the World Health Organization.

Main Methods:

• A pilot project conducted a bidirectional mapping between SNOMED CT and ICD-11 Foundation entities.
• Phase 1 mapped ICD-11 endocrine diseases (excluding neoplasms) to SNOMED CT.
• Phase 2 mapped SNOMED CT concepts to ICD-11, utilizing postcoordination and independent double mapping with discrepancy reconciliation.

Main Results:

• Phase 1 achieved exact matches for 59% of 637 ICD-11 entities to SNOMED CT.
• Phase 2 found exact matches for 32% of 1893 SNOMED CT concepts to ICD-11, with postcoordination adding 15%.
• Key challenges included non-synonymous synonyms, granularity mismatches, composite conditions, and residual categories.

Conclusions:

• The pilot project demonstrated the significant effort required for SNOMED CT and ICD-11 mapping.
• Common challenges in mapping were identified, necessitating careful planning and resource allocation.
• Recommendations include clarifying mapping goals, providing adequate resources, establishing a roadmap, and reconsidering SNOMED CT integration into ICD-11.