Snomed CT in Sweden
In May 2007 the National Board of Health and Welfare was commissioned by the Government to lead the Swedish work on SNOMED CT.
The overall aim of the work being conducted by the National Board of Health and Welfare on SNOMED CT is the safety of patients and clients through the fact that health service information can be documented and communicated over time and across organisational boundaries and yet still retain content and context.
SNOMED CT is a part of the national terminology and classification resource, for which the responsibility rests with the National Board of Health and Welfare.
The Swedish work on SNOMED CT will mainly be within these fields:
SNOMED CT must be translated and this would take three to four years to complete. During this time pilot operations can be initiated, stimulated and prepared.
The SNOMED CT project will incorporate the entire health service sector, including dental care. This means that there will be an additional task to work on harmonisation and to complement concepts and terms used within social services and the health service. Within the project there will be particular focus on dealing with interdisciplinary terminology ensuring that harmonisation takes place with national classifications, concepts and terms, with standardised and recommended use.
For SNOMED CT to have the expected effect, two key functions are information and training. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions ought to have a central role with responsibility for co-ordinated training of regional "ambassadors". Universities and colleges that run health care programmes ought to be assigned responsibility for ensuring that suitable training is incorporated into undergraduate and further education programmes.
Management and maintenance of SNOMED CT is a long-term responsibilityand requires continuity. After the first few years in project form managementmust move on to the operating phase. This responsibility includes making SNOMED CT's international master version and the Swedish version available to Swedish interested parties.
