A survey of SNOMED CT implementations

The Systematised Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) has been designated as the recommended clinical reference terminology for use in clinical information systems around the world and is reported to be used in over 50 countries. However, there are still few implementation details. This study examined the implementation of SNOMED CT in terms of design, use and maintenance issues involved in 13 healthcare organisations across eight countries through a series of interviews with 14 individuals. While a great deal of effort has been spent on developing and refining SNOMED CT, there is still much work ahead to bring SNOMED CT into routine clinical use.

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► We conducted 13 interviews of SNOMED CT implementations in clinical settings.
► Challenges: SNOMED CT quality; design, use and maintenance; others.
► Success factors: simplicity; clinicians; expertise; demonstrate value; training.
► Benefits: content coverage; direct data entry; data reuse; legibility.