rss
J Am Med Inform Assoc 1997;4:465-472 doi:10.1136/jamia.1997.0040465
  • The Practice of Informatics
  • Application of Information Technology

Updating the Read Codes: User-interactive Maintenance of a Dynamic Clinical Vocabulary

  1. David Robinson,
  2. Erich Schulz,
  3. Philip Brown,
  4. Colin Price
  1. Affiliation of the authors: NHS Centre for Coding and Classification, Loughborough, United Kingdom
  1. Correspondence and reprints: Dr. David B. Robinson, NHS Centre for Coding and Classification, Woodgate, Loughborough, Leicestershire, United Kingdom, LE11 2TG. E-mail: dbr{at}rothley.demon.co.uk
  • Received 13 May 1997
  • Accepted 21 July 1997

Abstract

The Read Codes are a hierarchically-arranged controlled clinical vocabulary introduced in the early 1980s and now consisting of three maintained versions of differing complexity. The code sets are dynamic, and are updated quarterly in response to requests from users including clinicians in both primary and secondary care, software suppliers, and advice from a network of specialist healthcare professionals. The codes' continual evolution of content, both across and within versions, highlights tensions between different users and uses of coded clinical data. Internal processes, external interactions and new structural features implemented by the NHS Centre for Coding and Classification (NHSCCC) for user interactive maintenance of the Read Codes are described, and over 2000 items of user feedback episodes received over a 15-month period are analysed.

Footnotes

    This Article

    1. Abstract
    2. Full text
    3. PDF

    Responses

    1. Submit a response
    2. No responses published

    Social bookmarking

    Access policy for JAMIA

    All content published in JAMIA is deposited with PubMed Central by the publisher with a 12 month embargo. Authors/funders may pay an Unlocked fee of $2,000 to make the article free on the JAMIA website and PMC immediately on publication.

    All content older than 12 months is freely available on this website.

    AMIA members can log in with their JAMIA user name (email address) and password or via the AMIA website.