Developing a Search Algorithm and a Visualization Tool for SNOMED CT

Abstract

With electronic health records rising in popularity among hospitals andphysicians, the SNOMED CT medical terminology has served as a valuablestandard for those looking to exchange a variety of information linkedto clinical knowledge bases, information retrieval, and dataaggregation. However, SNOMED CT is distributed as a flat file databaseby the International Health Terminology Standards DevelopmentOrganization and visualization of data can be a problem. This studydescribes an algorithm that allows a user to easily search SNOMED CT foridentical or partial matches utilizing indexing and wildcard matchingthrough a graphical user interface developed in the cross-platformprogramming language Java. In addition to this, the algorithm displayscorresponding relationships and other relevant information pertaining tothe search term. The outcome of this study can serve as a usefulvisualization tool for those looking to delve into the increasinglystandardized world of electronic health records as well as a tool forhealthcare providers who may be seeking specific clinical informationcontained in the SNOMED CT database.