Terminology Server Users include

• End-Users
  
• People involved in procurement
  

End-Users

The end users of SNOMED CT terminology services include healthcare professionals and other people who enter, view, report, and analyze healthcare data coded using SNOMED CT. Terminology services may sound like a technical matter of little interest to users but the quality and performance of these services can make a big difference to the usability of a healthcare application. Poorly implemented terminology services can make it hard to locate appropriate concepts, distracting, and frustrating health professionals as they struggle to enter notes. The end result is likely to be incomplete records or inaccurate recording due to the inability to find the correct concept. In contrast, well-designed terminology services used effectively by healthcare applications facilitate rapid and accurate entry of clinical data. This not only assists the delivery of patient care but also provides a valuable source of information for communication, reporting, and valuable analysis.

Terminology services that enable rapid searches for concepts in relevant areas of the SNOMED CT hierarchy are a key factor in facilitating accurate data entry and minimizing the risk of errors. When creating task-oriented forms or templates for data entry it is even more important to use search techniques that pinpoint the correct concepts, because any errors in a template will inevitably be duplicated by records created using that template.

Terminology services also need to support data retrieval for retrieval, analysis, and decision support. This requires terminology services that can examine the definition of a concept and determine if it meets the criteria specified in a query or expression constraint. A terminology service that supports rapid evaluation of these types of queries can be a key factor in facilitating the delivery of essential reports and valuable analytics.   

Most end-users are unlikely to have a direct role in the development or selection of terminology services. However, those who are involved in designing, procuring, and implementing these services should recognize the importance of ensuring a positive end-user experience for people whose day-to-day work requires frequent access to SNOMED CT.

Procurement

Evaluating the Usability of Terminology Services

Organizations procuring applications that require access to SNOMED CT should carefully evaluate the way that the application provides access to terminology content and features. This evaluation should consider practical usability and also the flexibility of the underlying design. It should also consider the context of the existing technical architecture, as this will drive the type of service being procured.

To facilitate the assessment of the way an application interacts with SNOMED CT, the following steps are recommended:

1. Identify user activities that involve interaction with the terminology
   • It may be helpful to refer to the list of use cases in Section 3.2 to assist the identification of specific activities that are relevant to the application being procured
2. Identify groups of users that regularly undertake each of the identified activities
3. Request representatives of the affected groups of users to assist with the evaluation of those activities
   • Those involved in this evaluation may find it useful to refer to the use cases in Section 3.2 and the specific service requirements in Section 3.1 which may suggest a particular factor underlying any issues they experience

Evaluating Application Options for Access to Terminology Services

Another important point to consider when procuring a solution that requires access to SNOMED CT. is the way (or ways) in which the solution provides access to the terminology.  A solution may include built-in terminology services, it may provide an interface to terminology services from a specific provider, or it may offer options to use terminology services from different providers who support a common interface.   Table 2.3.1-1 outlines the advantages and disadvantages of each of these options from the perspective of a procuring organization.

Table 2.3.1-1: Options for Application Access to Terminology Services - Procuring Organization Perspective