A multicenter consensus-based value set for specimen containers mapped to SNOMED CT: development and external validation.

BACKGROUND

Although SNOMED CT contains individual concepts for specimen containers, no systematic reference set based on clinical practice has been developed. This study aimed to develop a value set for specimen containers through multicenter consensus, map it to SNOMED CT, and validate it at external institutions.

METHOD: Local specimen container names were collected from four university hospitals and two referral laboratories. After excluding non-container names, the remaining names were classified into eight container categories. Representative terms were extracted through consensus workshops, mapped to SNOMED CT by a terminology expert, and validated by clinical pathologists. For external validation, two additional university hospitals evaluated the value set against their local container names.

RESULTS

Of 726 local names, 612 were included and consolidated into 152 representative terms across eight categories. Only 37 (24.3%) were classified as exact map to SNOMED CT, while 115 (75.7%) required alternative expressions or lacked appropriate concepts. In external validation, the two hospitals mapped 91.8% (135/147) and 76.6% (36/47) of their local names to the value set, respectively, with unmatched names consisting mainly of manufacturer-specific product names.

CONCLUSION

The low exact map rate indicates that the current SNOMED CT International Edition lacks sufficient granularity for specimen containers used in laboratory practice, and new concept development is essential to achieve semantic interoperability. This study developed a multicenter consensus-based value set for specimen containers mapped to SNOMED CT. The value set provides a foundation for the KR CDI and a practical reference for other SNOMED CT member nations.