Plan for analysis

SNOMED Groups NPU Project
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Current use cases proposed to be supported by the NPU-SNOMED ontology (copied from recent presentation)

  • Interoperability
    • This presents both strong and weak arguments. It is compelling for informatics professionals but requires additional justification for management stakeholders.
      • It facilitates the establishment of a “bridge” between LOINC and NPU, enabling related concepts to be identified through SCT.
      • It enhances the comprehensibility of NPU concepts in countries not utilizing NPU, a factor particularly relevant within the context of the European Health Data Space (EHDS).
  • Sustainability of the NPU Terminology
    • Given the substantial investment spanning 30 years in the Nomenclature of Properties and Units (NPU), transitioning to LOINC would impose considerable economic and quality-related costs.
  • Streamlined Tooling
    • Adoption of SCT tools, which are already in place, would simplify the maintenance process by eliminating the need for specialized NPU-specific tools.
  • Market Expansion for Laboratory Information Systems
    • Aligning with SCT, a globally recognized information model, would potentially expand market opportunities for laboratory information systems.
  • Quality Enhancement of the Nomenclature of Properties and Units (NPU)
    • Undertaking this exercise would significantly improve the quality and clarity of the NPU by identifying errors and refining concepts for greater explicitness.
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NPU SNOMED Meeting 2025-12-12
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  • Sustainibility

    • each contributer can provide resources used in the POC

  • Practical use cases

    • Check April '25 meeting notes for additional benefits

  • Governance aspects of the collaboration

    • Workflow for SNOMED and NPU users, how does SNOMED NRC interact with NPU National and International RCs. Covered by the current agreement, in part at least, but may need clarification.

  • Quality

    • Three sub-topics:
      • Quality enhancement in NPU, “comparison promotes clarity”
      • Quality enhancement in SNOMED as a result of NPU SNOMED work, i.e. in property types, units, substance (sub)hierarchies
      • Any risks identified where strictly defined NPU elements are mapped to less strictly defined SNOMED concepts
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