To what extent can prescriptions be meaningfully exchanged between primary care terminologies? A case study of four western European classification systems. Issue 5 (1st October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Meulendijk, Michiel; Spruit, Marco; Lefebvre, Armel; Brinkkemper, Sjaak
• Is Part Of: IET software. Volume 11:Issue 5(2017)
• Page Start: 256
• Page End: 264
• Publication Date: 2017-10-01
• Subjects: health care -- ontologies (artificial intelligence) -- semantic networks -- open systems; western European classification systems -- semantic interoperability -- metaterminologies -- nationally implemented terminologies -- rule-based approach -- primary care terminologies -- generic metrics -- arbitrary vocabularies -- ontological model -- data quality -- lower-level terminology mapping; Computer software -- Periodicals; Software engineering -- Periodicals; 005.1
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-sen.2016.0301
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-8806

Abstract

Abstract : The diversity of terminologies used in primary care causes significant challenges regarding semantic interoperability. Attempts to address these challenges usually focus on the creation of metaterminologies, with the peculiarities of national variations of terminologies being overlooked. In this study the extent to which primary care data can be meaningfully exchanged between nationally implemented terminologies is assessed using a rule‐based approach. To determine this, a model comprising primary care terminologies and including axioms to define their relations was developed. Generic metrics were designed to determine the completeness and accuracy of any two arbitrary vocabularies within an ontological model. These metrics were used on an implementation of the model to determine the data quality that is preserved when expressing similar data in different primary care terminologies. The results show that values of terminologies which are closely related can express each other's concepts relatively well. The authors conclude that the current state of accuracy and completeness between primary care terminologies does not allow for sufficiently meaningful semantic interoperability, but that their approach of mapping lower‐level terminologies to each other next to an ontological approach may yield better results than relying solely on the latter.