M8120 Informatics for Evidence-based Practice
Fall 2001
Standardized Terminology Problem Set
Assignment is worth 10 points and is due on 9/25.
Exercise A: Domain Coverage for Selected Terminologies
Group 1 – NANDA & SNOMED
Group 2 – ICD9-CM & Nursing Interventions Classification
Group 3 – Home Health Care Classification & NHS Read Codes
Group 4 – Omaha System & CPT Codes (Physicians Current Procedural Terminology)
1. Go to the UMLS web site from the link on the home page or directly to: http://umlsks.nlm.nih.gov/
Enter id and password (id=sue, password=stressed) These are case-sensitive!
2. Select Metathesaurus with default settings of normalized string match and concept information; you may
choose other settings (e.g., truncated, approximate matching) if you are unable to find a match for the term
phrase or term you wish to match. It is probably easiest to restrict the search to the two terminologies that
you have been assigned and to search twice (once for each terminology). Alternatively, you can leave as
“all sources” and see if your assigned terminologies are among those that have matches.
3. List which matching phrase or term is the best match for the following term phrases (enter each phrase
individually), and the ancestor(s) [parents] of the matching phrase or term. If you do not find a close match
for your term, try truncating the phrase (instead of normalized string match) or trying a synonymous or
related phrase, and repeat the search as above. You should be able to find at least some type of related
concept for every phrase in the file.
Acute pain
Myocardial infarction
Knowledge deficit
Coping
Shortness of breath
Pulse oximetry
Medication administration
Emotional support
Wound care
IV insertion
Patient teaching
4. What did this exercise tell you about the structure and domain coverage of your terminologies?
Exercise B: Testing the ISO Model for Nursing Activities
has site
site
action
timing
has route
target
acts on
has means
has subject of care
route
subject of care
means
Model Definitions
An <action> is the process by which an intentional service is applied to a subject of care. Actions are frequently
represented in compositional expressions as verbs or verb phrases. All nursing activities have an <action>.
<<Target>> is the entity that is affected by the nursing action or that provides the content of the nursing action.
All nursing actions have a <<target>>.
<<Means>> is the entity used in performing a nursing action.
<Route> is a path through which something may pass.
<Site> is a physical structure that further specifies the position of a <<focus>> or a <<target>>.
<<Subject of care>> is the person, family, group, or other aggregate to whom the action is delivered. <<Subject
of care>> should be used when necessary to avoid ambiguities in a set of descriptors within a terminology.
1. Select 3 intervention terms from the Home Health Care Classification and 3 from the Nursing Interventions
Classification (see links on course home page to find lists of terms). Dissect each term into the components
of the model as in the example below.
Term phrase: Fluid monitoring
Action
Target
Subject of care
Means
Route
Site
Term phrase:
Action
Target
Subject of care
Means
Route
Site
Term phrase:
Action
Target
Subject of care
Means
Route
Site
Term phrase:
Action
Target
Subject of care
Means
Route
Site
Term phrase:
Action
Target
Subject of care
Means
Route
Site
Monitoring
Fluid
Individual (implicit)
N/A
N/A
N/A
Term phrase:
Action
Target
Subject of care
Means
Route
Site
Term phrase:
Action
Target
Subject of care
Means
Route
Site
2. Were you able to dissect the term phrases into the model components? Was there a place to put each part of
phrase? Which parts of the model were found most frequently in the term phrases?