TITLE:
SNOMED CT: A Clinical Terminology but Also a Formal Ontology
AUTHORS:
Constant Joseph Koné, Michel Babri, Jean Marie Rodrigues
KEYWORDS:
SNOMED CT, Clinical Terminology, Ontology, OWL2
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.11 No.11,
November
27,
2023
ABSTRACT: Context and Objective: Over the past few decades, terminologies developed for clinical descriptions have been increasingly used as key resources for knowledge management, data integration, and decision support to the extent that today they have become essential in the biomedical and health field. Among these clinical terminologies, some may possess the characteristics of one or several types of representation. This is the case for the Systematized Nomenclature of Human and Veterinary Medicine—Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT), which is both a clinical medical terminology and a formal ontology based on the principles of semantic web. Methods: We present and discuss, on one hand, the compliance of SNOMED CT with the requirements of a reference clinical terminology and, on the other hand, the specifications of the features and constructions of descriptive of SNOMED CT. Results: We demonstrate the consistency of the reference clinical terminology SNOMED CT with the principles stated in James J. Cimino’s desiderata and we also show that SNOMED CT contains an ontology based on the EL profile of OWL2 with some simplifications. Conclusions: The duality of SNOMED CT shown is crucial for understanding the versatility, depth, and scope in the health field.