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Before submitting a request for change (RFC) | Guidance |
Check duplicates of submitted RFCs | |
| Search not only for the exact term but try different words or word combinations that may express the same clinical idea. |
| Search not only for the exact term but try different words or word combinations that may express the same clinical idea. |
| If a concept has been INACTIVATED, it should not be used. |
Find the proper Parent |
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| Determine the correct hierarchy the content is part of, based on the context of use. The requested concept must be part of the same top level hierarchy as the parent. |
Include a Reference & Supporting documents |
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| Valid references are required for new content All reference material must be publicly available, recent and authoritative, a wiki reference is not deemed suitable. Provide the use case: how and where content will be used. |
Include French translations (if required) |
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| Infoway does not translate content. If a translated term is required, please provide the term with the appropriate supporting information. |
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Validate compliance to Editorial Guidelines | Guidance |
| Refer to SNOMED International Editorial Guide: https://confluence.ihtsdotools.org/display/DOCEG/SNOMED+CT+Editorial+Guide 3.2. Abbreviations (and Acronyms) |
| Omit the inclusion of articles like “an” and “the” |
| All descriptions should be given in lower case letters except the first word in the description, which should be capitalized unless this would change its meaning. The rest of the description should be in lower case, except for proper nouns, adjectives derived from proper nouns, and acronyms. The following is an EXAMPLE of the INCORRECT USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS: Diphtheria and Tetanus toxoids and Acellular pertussis (product) Refer to SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.4 Capitalization |
| The following is Canada English specific : Use the full description in the FSN. One of the synonyms (syn) will not include an apostrophe or final "s" (E.g.: Down syndrome) This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.5 Eponyms |
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| Must not be used This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.11 Past tense verbal forms and sentence function types |
| The use of plural is to be avoided. Use singular. Exceptions: "grouper" concepts may have a synonym that is plural. This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.7 Plurals |
| Use one space in front of an opening parenthesis and after a closing parenthesis, but not within parentheses |
| The action word describing the clinical action is the verbal noun ending in "-ion" rather than "-ing". This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.11 Verbal nouns |
| Not to be used. To be replaced by ‘and’ This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.8 Special characters |
| No space between the apostrophe and the s, where applicable. For Eponyms, refer to 'Eponym' This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.8 Apostrophes |
| This is used as a pair of symbols to enclose character strings that properly should be displayed as superscript. Single caret symbols are not allowed. Note that no spaces are allowed in between the symbols This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.8 Caret symbols (^) |
| To separate acronyms from the rest of a name: There is no space between the acronym and the colon, but a space must be added after the colon There is no space before or after a ratio EXAMPLE: lidocaine hydrochloride 1.5%/epinephrine 1:200,000 injection solution vial (product) This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.8 Colons |
| Avoid usage as much as possible. This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.8 Hyphens and dashes |
| The hyphen is used to join words and to separate syllables. There should be no space either before or after the hyphen. Note that more and more words are written without the hyphen. This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.8 Hyphens and dashes |
| Not to be used. This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.8 Forward slashes |
| Insert a space before and after the sign when unifies two words. For combination drug products. This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 3.8 Plus signs |
FSN specific |
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| The description ends with a parenthesis that includes the hierarchy tag, to be unique. |
| If different spelling are is possible that could represent a US spelling or a UK spelling, the preference will be to represent the term in the US dialect. |
| Use the singular form unless the concept necessarily involves multiples. EXAMPLE: multiple lumps (finding) or function of specific cranial nerves (observable entity) |
| Use full description as the FSN, and the eponymous term as a synonym. |
| The dash must be replaced with words that clarify the meaning. |
| Exceptions: allowed in the FSNs of organisms, substances, or products where the colon is a proper part of the name. They are also allowed in ratios and in tumor stages. |
| Exceptions: A forward slash may be used for representing units of measure, as required in the pharmaceutical products hierarchy, and in laboratory test results and units of measure hierarchies. |
| All acronyms are banned from FSNs. Description must be expanded. |
| Abbreviations are prohibited in FSNs and synonyms, with specified exceptions. Terms containing abbreviations will not be accepted into the International Release. |
Hierarchy specific | Refer to SNOMED International Editorial Guide per Hierarchy, for those not listed below |
| Many concepts and descriptions have been created in the CA Edition. These concepts are part of the Procedure hierarchy. Refer to this document for Canadian specific guidelines: Canadian Edition Editorial Guidelines for Clinical Imaging Procedures This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 2.4.10.2.8 Naming conventions for clinical imaging procedures |
| Many concepts and descriptions have been created in the CA Edition. (antigens and immunoglobulins) For Immunization, refer to the Immunization content development - Canadian Editorial Guidelines This topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 2.4.19.3 Naming conventions for antibodies and antigens 2.4.19.3 Naming conventions for antivenom |
| Many concepts and descriptions have been created in the CA Edition. (vaccines products) For Immunization, refer to the Immunization content development - Canadian Editorial Guidelines Although this topic is covered in SNOMED International Editorial Guidelines, it does not follow the SNOMED International guide: Under review |
| To ensure RFC’s are created that align with SNOMED International Guidelines, implementers should refer to this document: Microbiology Content Development – Canadian Editorial Guidelines SNOMED CT on InfoScribe. Implementers should also be familiar with all of the SNOMED International Guidelines. Some of the guidelines that are documented in the Canadian Microbiology Guidelines document are also covered in the SNOMED International Editorial Guide: 2.4.5.3 Observables and results for microbiology tests 2.4.6 Naming conventions for the organism hierarchy. |