Prevalence and Correlates of Lipoprotein(a) Testing in a Diverse Cohort of U.S. Adults
Background: Once-per-lifetime lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] testing is recommended by multiple professional societies during cardiovascular disease risk assessment. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence and identify correlates of Lp(a) testing in a real-world, diverse sample. Methods: Participants were ≥18 years of age from the All of Us Research Study who shared electronic medical record information through 2022...
Process Re-Engineering and Data Integration Using Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources for the Multidisciplinary Treatment of Lung Cancer
Multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings play a critical role in cancer care by fostering collaboration between different health care professionals to develop optimal treatment recommendations. However, meeting scheduling and coordination rely heavily on manual work, making information-sharing and integration challenging. This results in incomplete information, affecting decision-making efficiency and impacting the progress of MDT. This project aimed to optimize and digitize...
Extracting LOINC Codes from a Laboratory Information System’s Index: Addressing Semantic Interoperability with Web Scraping
Background: Standardizing laboratory data is essential for interoperability and secondary use in clinical research and healthcare. However, many laboratory information systems (LIS) still rely on internal codes rather than internationally recognized terminologies, hindering data exchange, queryability, and integration into health data infrastructures. Objectives: This study aimed to automate the extraction and mapping of internal lab codes to LOINC to improve...
A resource for Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes terms that may be associated with identifying information
Objectives: The primary objective was to compile a comprehensive list of Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) terms that may be associated with patient, healthcare provider, and healthcare facility identifying information. Materials and methods: We developed a 2-step procedure for identifying LOINC terms, which consists of a keyword search of Long Common Names and filtering on selected property values,...
Digital metrology in laboratory medicine: a call for bringing order to chaos to facilitate precision diagnostics
Laboratory medicine is faced with rapid developments in data exchange, secondary use of data and artificial intelligence. Safe exchange of laboratory data requires a suitable terminology standard. NPU, LOINC and SNOMED CT are increasingly used for this purpose, but none of these terminology standards can currently accommodate safe exchange across the full spectrum of conventional laboratory data. Furthermore, rapid technological...
Gap Analysis of Standard Automated Perimetry Concept Representation in Medical Terminologies
Precis: In this multi-institutional effort, we identified gaps in SAP data elements within medical terminologies. We proposed new concepts to LOINC to enhance SAP data standards and big data representation and improve interoperability across healthcare systems. Purpose: To identify gaps in the representation of Standard Automated Perimetry (SAP) data elements in Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) and the...
Breaking Digital Health Barriers: Development and Validation of an LLM-Based Tool for Automated OMOP Mapping
Background: The integration of diverse clinical data sources requires standardization through models like OMOP (Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership). However, mapping data elements to OMOP concepts demands significant technical expertise and time. While large healthcare systems often have resources for OMOP conversion, smaller clinical trials and studies frequently lack such support, leaving valuable research data siloed. Objective: To develop and validate...
RadLex and SNOMED CT integration: a pilot study for standardising radiology classification
Background: Effective communication and information exchange across diverse platforms are critical in healthcare data systems. However, the presence of multiple coding systems and varying standards creates discrepancies and misalignments, highlighting the need for innovative solutions to address these challenges. Objective: The study aimed to develop a technical and semantic interoperability method specifically for radiology procedures, utilising the terminology management tool...
Towards the development of a FAIR-compliant biomedical ontology for colorectal cancer
Despite the widespread development of ontologies in many domains of healthcare, the field of colorectal cancer (CRC) presents a notable gap considering the lack of standardized data models tailored to the CRC domain. To address this gap, we developed a structured, systematic approach to model CRC-related data. A reference data model (RDM) was first defined, including 250 terminologies related to...
Semantic enrichment of Pomeranian health study data using LOINC and WHO-FIC terminology mapping principles
Objective: To semantically enrich the laboratory data dictionary of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP), a population-based cohort study, with LOINC to achieve better compliance with the FAIR principles for data stewardship. Materials and methods: We employed a workflow that maps codes from the SHIP-START-4 laboratory data dictionary to LOINC codes following the terminology mapping principles and best practices...
A process for contextualising digital health terminology standards for Uganda’s health information systems: A use case of HIV information management services
Background: Uniform interpretation of digital health messages is important to achieve semantic interoperability of electronic health information systems (eHIS). Whereas international digital health terminologies such as ICD, LOINC and SNOMED-CT exist, their design considerations regarding health processes, data collected, and technologies, among others do not necessarily match Uganda's eHIS contextual needs. Objective: This research aimed to design a process that...
Lack of Standardized Coding Limits Accuracy of Electronic Clinical Quality Measure for Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis
Guidelines for diagnosing pulmonary embolism (PE) start with a risk assessment using a pretest probability (PTP) tool, followed by D-dimer testing or computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) depending on risk. The project aimed to develop an electronic clinical quality measure (eCQM) to encourage broader use of a validated PTP scoring tool in emergency departments (EDs) to more accurately diagnose PE...
Assessing the FAIRness of Metabolic Bariatric Surgery Registries: a Comparative Analysis of Data Dictionaries from the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden
Background: This study is part of an initiative to improve the FAIRness (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, Reusability) of metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) registries globally. It explores the extent to which European registry data can be manually integrated without first making them FAIR and assesses these registries' current level of FAIRness. The findings establish a baseline for evaluation and provide recommendations to...
Electronic Health Record Data Collection Practices to Advance Standardization and Interoperability of Patient Preferences for Interpretation Services: Qualitative Study
Background: Poor health outcomes are well documented among patients with a non-English language preference (NELP). The use of interpreters can improve the quality of care for patients with NELP. Despite a growing and unmet need for interpretation services in the US health care system, rates of interpreter use in the care setting are consistently low. Standardized collection and exchange of...
Gaps and Similarities in Research Use LOINC Codes Utilized in Korean University Hospitals: Towards Semantic Interoperability for Patient Care
Background: The accuracy of Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) mappings is reportedly low, and the LOINC codes used for research purposes in Korea have not been validated for accuracy or usability. Our study aimed to evaluate the discrepancies and similarities in interoperability using existing LOINC mappings in actual patient care settings. Methods: We collected data on local test...
Leveraging Transformers-based models and linked data for deep phenotyping in radiology
Background and Objective: Despite significant investments in the normalization and the standardization of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), free text is still the rule rather than the exception in clinical notes. The use of free text has implications in data reuse methods used for supporting clinical research since the query mechanisms used in cohort definition and patient matching are mainly based...
Characterization of SARS-CoV-2 Diagnostic Tests and Liver Function Tests Among Patients With COVID-19 Diagnosed in Outpatient Settings Using Administrative Healthcare Data and Data From Commercial Laboratories
Purpose: To characterize select laboratory tests ordered versus reported for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in administrative healthcare and commercial laboratory data. Methods: Among patients with an outpatient COVID-19 diagnosis claim in HealthVerity data (01/01/2021-12/31/2022), this study described baseline characteristics and descriptively compared SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests and liver function tests from administrative healthcare (insurance claims and hospital billing data) and commercial...
Patient-Centric Approach to Personalized Electronic Medical Records via QR Code in Japan
Government policies in the United States and the European Union promote standardization and value creation in the use of FAIR (findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability) data, which can enhance trust in digital health systems and is crucial for their success. Trust is built through elements such as FAIR data access, interoperability, and improved communication, which are essential for fostering innovation...
Standardization for Promoting Interoperability of Healthcare Data: The Progression of the Korean Society of Radiology
In 2023, the Korean Core Data for Interoperability (KR-CDI), comprising 77 elements, was established as a compliance item for healthcare data exchange in Korea to promote patient-centered medical information exchange and reestablish national interoperability in healthcare standardization. Radiologic examinations are in the core classification of diagnostic imaging tests, and the examination name, results, and image data must be exchanged based...
History, Implementation and Current Use of the IFCC-IUPAC’s Nomenclature for Properties and Units (NPU) Terminology in Denmark, Norway and Sweden
Electronic exchange of health care data demands code/terminology systems. In the Scandinavian countries, the IFCC-IUPAC’s Nomenclature for Properties and Units (NPU) terminology is used for results in biochemistry, pharmacology, and immunology. Implementation, use and administration of NPU has differed between the countries despite similar health care and lab sectors. In Norway and in one Swedish region NPU – with supplementary...