Health informatics – Development of terms and definitions for health informatics glossaries

Health informatics is serviced by multiple standards development organisations, each with their own need for consistent definitions of the terms they use. The evolution of glossaries across these organisations has resulted in standards in which terms are defined and/or used in different ways. This situation leads to a lack of clarity in the use and meaning of health informatics terms.

This document addresses the need for a single international health informatics glossary. It collates relevant guidance on the development of quality terms and definitions and provides procedural standards for the introduction and management of terms, including metadata requirements. This guidance is intended to reduce the effort required to develop standards and support the development of international e-health initiatives.

This document does not cover the specification of terminological content in systems such as SNOMED or ICD.

Main sections:

· Scope

· Normative references

· Terms and definitions

· Glossary management processes

· Governance