The follow syntax rules apply to searches using SearchLOINC, Hierarchy Browser, and RELMA. The search syntax is similar to that of Google. Searches using these tools will follow the rules outlined below.
- Searches are case-insensitive so an upper case search term will return the same results as a lower case search term.
- Search terms will be separated by the AND operator when no operator is specified.
The following special characters and keywords can also be used in a search.
| Special Characters | Example | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| ” “ | influenza "virus A" | The phrase in quotations is considered as a single search term rather than two independent terms. |
| AND | morphine AND cutoff | Both terms must exist somewhere in each search result. As stated above, AND is implied when no operator is specified between search terms. In addition, the “+” operator has the same function as AND (see the Search operators section). So searching for morphine AND cutoff will produce the same search result as morphine cutoff or morphine +cutoff. |
| OR | influenza OR parainfluenza | Either of the terms exist somewhere in each search result. |
| NOT | influenza NOT equine | Excludes records that contain the term after NOT. The NOT operator cannot be used with only a single search term. In addition, the – operator has the same function as NOT (see the Search operators section). So searching for influenza NOT equine will produce the same search result as influenza -equine. |
| ? | allergy artemi? | Single character wildcard search. Cannot be used in phrases. The ? operator is particularly useful when searching for a LOINC code when you do not remember the check digit. For example, 80619-? is a valid search that will return the row for LOINC 80619-0. |
| * | allergy artemi* | Multiple character wildcard search. Cannot be used in phrases. |
| FieldName: | Component:opiates System:hair | When performing a search you can either search across all indexed fields, which is the default, or you can search for a value in a specific field using the syntax “FieldName:”. |
See the LOINC Field Names section and the Part Field Names section for a full list of the field names for LOINC term and part searches, respectively.
Remember that the “FieldName:” operator is only valid for the search term that it directly precedes. So the query Component:opiates confirm will look for opiates in the Component field and confirm in all of the indexed fields.
For other search syntax options see the Search operators section.
Basic LOINC field names
The LOINC search supports the use of the following field names in a search:
| Field Name | Example |
|---|---|
| LOINC | LOINC:12628-4 |
| Component | Component:chemotherapy |
| Property | glucose Property:CCnc |
| Timing | glucose Timing:24H |
| System | glucose System:CSF |
| Scale | glucose Scale:Nar |
| Method | mycobacterium Method:IA |
| Class | glucose Class:UA |
For other LOINC field names available in LOINC search, see the LOINC Field Name Search section.
Basic Part field names
The Part Search supports the use of the following field names in a search:
| Field Name | Example |
|---|---|
| Part | Partnumber:LP16708-7 |
| Name | Part:giemsa |
For other field names available in Part search, see the Part field name search section.
Basic Answer List field names
The Answer List Search supports the use of the following field names in a answer list search:
| Field Name | Example |
|---|---|
| AnswerList | AnswerList:LL512-5 |
| Name | Name:care* |
| Description | Description:sock |
For other other field names available in Answer List search, see the Answer List field name search section.