Systematized nomenclature of medicine clinical terms (SNOMED CT) to represent computed tomography procedures

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the ability of systematized nomenclature of medicine clinical terms (SNOMED CT) to represent computed tomography procedures in computed tomography dictionaries used in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Methods This study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage computed tomography dictionaries were collected and consolidated to one master list. The duplicated procedure names were deleted from the list. In the second stage the unique data items from the master list were matched with the SNOMED CT concepts. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of SNOMED CT were investigated. Results After eliminating 680 duplicate procedures from the total of 833, the study sample consisted of 153 data items. For pre-coordination, SNOMED CT had sensitivity of 56% and for post-coordination SNOMED CT had sensitivity of 98%. Conclusion Our results suggest that SNOMED CT is a valid nomenclature for representing computed tomography procedures.