Going Beyond Surface Language: An Exploratory Evaluation of Nursing Ontology Mappings

A range of approaches have been used to develop and evaluate terminology mapping. In seeking to enhance existing methods this exploratory feasibility study examined a small subset of existing equivalency mappings between the International Classification for Nursing Practice and SNOMED CT. To identify potential inconsistencies in allocation, comparisons were made for each concept in each equivalency mapping, through a manual review of a) compositionality and specificity of asserted and inherited relationships, and b) ancestors through to root. There were similarities and several differences across the mappings which were both structural and definitional in nature. In order to demonstrate practical utility, the approach piloted in the present study might benefit from scaling up and a degree of automation. However, the study has demonstrated it is both feasible and potentially useful when evaluating terminology mapping to go beyond the surface language of mapped terms, and to consider the deeper definitional features of the underlying concepts.