In this blog, Ian Green, SNOMED International’s Customer Relations Lead Europe and Global Clinical Engagement Business Manager; and Anne Randorff Højen, Implementation Support Specialist, discuss our updated Allergy, Hypersensitivity and Intolerance Implementation Guide, developed by the SNOMED International Clinical Reference Group for Allergies/Hypersensitivity. 

Q: What is the Clinical Reference Group (CRG) for Allergies/Hypersensitivity?

A: This CRG is a community of practice for clinicians focused on allergies/hypersensitivity and intolerance in which members discuss issues and influence the development and improvement of content in SNOMED CT. The group also supports the development of derivative products that will support implementations focused on the allergies/hypersensitivity and intolerance specialty. To learn more about this group, visit this page.

Q: Why was this guide developed?

A: The guide was designed to promote interoperability within and between systems or implementations in a consistent way by providing clear guidance for structuring adverse sensitivity data as part of a patient’s Electronic Health Record. The guide also provides clinicians with an overview of the approach to enable accurate and interoperable recording of clinical detail

Q: Who is the guide intended for?

A: The guide is intended for a range of professionals who work in this area, including SNOMED International Members who are seeking uniform, clear best practices for documenting adverse sensitivity, and understanding how SNOMED CT can be applied in this domain. It’s also intended for clinicians interested in understanding how SNOMED CT can support the clinical needs for data collection and acquisition within the field of Allergy, Hypersensitivity and Intolerance. Information managers who are looking to learn how SNOMED CT can be integrated into health information models within the domain of Allergy, Hypersensitivity and Intolerance to support the implementation of SNOMED CT and enhance data interoperability can also use it, as can software developers who want to learn how to integrate SNOMED CT into software applications used in the domain of Allergy, Hypersensitivity, and Intolerance.

Q: What does it cover?

A: The guide represents a culmination of work started by the Implementation Special Interest Group in 2014 and continued by the SNOMED International Clinical Reference Group for Allergies/Hypersensitivity starting in 2020. It includes five chapters that provide key use cases, elaborate on SNOMED CT terminological needs, introduce HL7 FHIR for data exchange, and present technical considerations for joint implementation. 

Q: Where can people find the guide?

A: You can find it here: snomed.org/allergy. We have also produced a demonstrator to show the implementation principles covered in the guide. The demonstrator can be found here. 

For more information, contact Ian Green or Anne Randorff Højen at info@snomed.org