It is important that all Members are familiar with the existence and responsibilities of the different bodies and forums of IHTSDO in order for the them to know what roles and responsibilities the Member and, more specifically, the NRC plays (or can play) within these, but also to be acquainted with the support and benefit each Member can get by engaging in the different forums.
The bodies and forums of IHTSDO are the foundation for the continuous maintenance, development and distribution of SNOMED CT, and they provide the organizational framework for communication and collaboration between the different parts of the SNOMED CT community.
Participation in IHTSDO forums and other activities is governed by the Conditions for Participation in IHTSDO Bodies and Forums, which can be found here: http://snomed.org/participation_conditions.pdf
An overview of the different Bodies and Forums is shown in Figure 14.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the highest authority in IHTSDO and contains one representative from each of its national Members. The General Assembly is collectively responsible with assuring that the Purpose, Objects and Principles of the Association are pursued and that the interests of IHTSDO are safeguarded. It can make binding decisions regarding all matters relating to IHTSDO, subject to and in accordance with the provisions of the Articles of Association, such as budget, work plan and strategic goals. It is recommended though not required that General Assembly representatives attend all meetings. Face to face meetings occur usually twice per year with occasional teleconferences and electronic voting.

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Besides the Standing Committees, a set of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) function as advisory bodies on issues related to their specific areas relevant to the strategic direction and resulting specific work areas of IHTSDO, its Members and the Community of Practice.
The SIGs are open to anyone who is interested, and they are important for IHTSDO to ensure professional and pertinent input to the Management Board and the Standing Committees. Therefore it is also important that the NRCs encourage appropriate national Affiliates/users to engage in these groups, in order to support a broadly-based composition of the groups with high professional competency and experience.
Two types of Special Interest Groups exist. The Functional SIGs provide expert advice and feedback on core functional areas (e.g. education, translation, implementation, etc.) within the scope of IHTSDO work, from an international perspective. The functional SIGs report to one of the Standing Committees. The Professional SIGs provide advice to IHTSDO on relevant clinical aspects and a link to appropriate international clinical professional groups (e.g. nursing, pathology, etc.).
Further information about the SIGs and instructions for how to join can be found on the IHTSDO webpage: http://snomed.org/sig.

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IHTSDO Collaborative Space – Confluence

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