Thesaurus, Terminology, Ontology and Classification Viewers (TTOC Viewers)

We have adopted the mnemonic TTOC to capture all the phrases used to represent the different systems of description or knowledge resources used in the world of health. The definition of each type of resource is weighed down with debate about their definitions with little prospect of resolution and agreement. Hence we have opted for an inclusive term, TTOC, until the pundits settle on a name.

The universal facet of TTOCs that we are endeavouring to capture through this service consists of these aspects:

- that all TTOCs have some minimal form of hierarchy,

  - the root of the hierarchy carries the name of the TTOC

- the uppermost level of the hierarchy beneath the root is labelled with meaningful names that can be used as categories, 

- very code or concept has a description which is retrieved by the terminology server,

- every code/concept has parents and children organised in a tree structure,

- retrieval of codes/concepts provides presentation of all attached concepts,

The viewer is a generic system that provides for viewing different TTOCs. It is supported by a Terminology Server which acts as a database of a predefined structure which stores all TTOCs. The Viewers are provided as a public service emanating from our research. The terminology server is a key service for our research and is used by many different in-house projects as well as serving the TTOC Viewers.

We have now available a generic viewer that enables us to deliver any TTOC for presentation. Currently SNOMED CT  and APACHE IV are available for viewing. In the coming months we expect to have more  terminologies available through the same mechanism. Currently we are preparing Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) & Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC). In the medium term we are preparing to deliver numerous editions of SNOMED CT and ICD 10AM.

The Generic Viewer 

The Generic Viewer is currently in beta test mode. It is now available. Users will need to register to have access to it. On full release a range of versions will be available. 

Access the Viewer here 

SNOMED CT (SCT)

SNOMED CT is available for use. The version of SCT is  presented on the front page of the viewer. We will make other versions of SCT available both in English and other languages as we gain access to them.

APACHE IV 

APACHE IV is a two level classification used to assess severity of illness in Intensive Care Services. For the purpose of being able to view APACHE through the generic viewer we have had to convert it into a pseudo-ontology. This means a new names have been created for each of the sub-classes beneath the 10 categories. Also there are some ambiguities in the assignment of specific items  to class labels so that they now reside in two different classes.

APACHE IV is available for use.

Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC) and Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC)

NIC and NOC are two classifications emerging as useful systems of description for nursing. They are both 4 level classifications with extensive description of their purpose and usage.

Access to NIC & NOC viewer is not yet available (ETA-mid May) 

ADVICE to Users

This site has been developed to support research into the use of various classes of information technologies in the health sector. A record is kept of all users of these tools and the work they perform.