Developing a Search Algorithm and a Visualization Tool for SNOMED CT

With electronic health records rising in popularity among hospitals and physicians, the SNOMED CT medical terminology has served as a valuable standard for those looking to exchange a variety of information linked to clinical knowledge bases, information retrieval, and data aggregation. However, SNOMED CT is distributed as a flat file database by the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization and visualization of data can be a problem. This study describes an algorithm that allows a user to easily search SNOMED CT for identical or partial matches utilizing indexing and wildcard matching through a graphical user interface developed in the cross-platform programming language Java. In addition to this, the algorithm displays corresponding relationships and other relevant information pertaining to the search term. The outcome of this study can serve as a useful visualization tool for those looking to delve into the increasingly standardized world of electronic health records as well as a tool for healthcare providers who may be seeking specific clinical information contained in the SNOMED CT database. Keywords—SNOMED CT; electronic; health records; visualization; search algorithm; GUI