Terminology Mapping
From Informatics and Nursing:
Competencies and Applications
Linda Q. Thede and Jeanne Sewell
Mapping
If data is to be interchangeable among
healthcare systems it is necessary to use a
nationally accepted standardized terminology.
There are however many different nationally
accepted standardized terminologies.
Theoretically, one can enter terms in one
nationally recognized standardized terminology
which can then be translated by the system to
another nationally recognized terminology in a
process known as “mapping.”
Illustration
In this example, Nurse Stephanie in General Hospital is using the
nationally accepted North American Nursing Diagnosis Association
(NANDA-I) terms to enter nursing problems. Although she uses
words to enter the terms, the system immediately translates the
term to the appropriate code for NANDA-I.
General Hospital, however, stores data in its electronic
healthcare record using the internationally accepted terminology
SNOMED-CT.
To store the nursing problems charted by Stephanie it is necessary
that the NANDA-I code be translated to the SNOMED-CT code. This
is all done behind the scenes with no intervention from the user.
This is accomplished using a mapping table that attempts to
match the NANDA-I terms to concepts in SNOMED-CT.
Stephanie Documents
Stephanie is preparing a
transfer report for Mrs.
Anders whose care will be the
responsibility of the local
Visiting Nurse Association.
One of Mrs. Anders problems
is acute pain, which she enters
into the electronic healthcare
record.
Acute
Pain
Systems Actions Behind Scenes (1)
Once Stephanie has entered
the term “Acute Pain” the
computer automatically
translates that term to the
code 00132 which is the code
that NANDA-I uses to denote
acute pain.
Acute Pain
becomes
00132
Systems Actions Behind Scenes (2)
Because General Hospital
stores data using SNOMED-CT
the NANDA-I code (00132) is
“mapped” to the SNOMED-CT
code for the concept Acute
Pain (274663001).
00132
Mapped to
274663001
Systems Actions Behind Scenes (3)
The system now stores in
Mrs. Anders chart the
SNOMED_CT code
274663001 as a nursing
problem.
274663001
System Retrieval Actions (1)
Mrs. Anders is discharged to
the Visiting Nurse Association
(VNA) where the nurses use
the Omaha System to
document. Nurse Valerie is
assigned to Mrs. Anders.
Before making her first visit
she retrieves the transfer
record. The nursing problem
acute pain is retrieved by the
system as its SNOMED_CT
code 274663001.
274663001
System Retrieval Actions (2)
The VNA system takes the
SNOMED-CT code
274663001 for acute pain
and using the mapping
table translates the code to
the Omaha System code for
acute pain (24).
274663001
Mapped to
24
System Retrieval Actions (3)
The software on Valerie’s
computer translates the
code 24 to the term that
Valerie recognizes “Acute
Pain”
24
becomes
Acute Pain
System Retrieval Actions (3)
Valerie sees the term
“Acute pain” on her
computer screen.
Acute
Pain
Mapping Accuracy
Mapping for clear cut concepts such as acute
pain is fairly accurate. However, the translation
is not always this easy and mapping may create
some loss or change of meaning.
Review Storage
• Nurse enters NANDA Term
• Without nurse effort:
– System translates the term to the NANDA code for
that term
– The NANDA code is mapped to the SNOMED-CT
code
• The system stores the SNOMED-CT code
Review Retrieval
• Nurse asks to see the record for Mrs. Anders
• The system then
– Retrieves the SNOMED-CT code
– Maps it to the Omaha System code
– Translates it to the actual term from the Omaha
System.
• Valerie reads the Omaha System.
Review Concept
As far as Stephanie and Valerie are
concerned they are communicating using
the terminology with which they are
familiar, while the system behind the
scenes makes the necessary translations.