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Terminology Data Type

What is a Terminology Data Type?

A Terminology Data Type is one of the four possible Data Types within Mauro Data Mapper. It is used to describe a structured collection of Enumerated Values which have relationships between different data terms.

How are Terminology Data Types used?

Terminology Data Types have now been expanded in Mauro Data Mapper to ‘Model Reference’. Model References can now point to a Terminology, a CodeSet or a ReferenceDataModel.

Terminology

A Terminology is a vocabulary, or a collection of allowable Terms as well as any relationships between them. A Term typically has a coded key and a human-readable value, along with some other information. Any relationships between pairs of Terms can be defined, including the relationship stating that one Term has a broader or narrower meaning than another Term.

For example, a hierarchy of Terms denoting patient diagnoses might include a general Term to indicate some form of Diabetes. This may be related to more specific Terms to indicate a particular form of Diabetes such as Type 1 Diabetes.

Terminologies are represented by a book icon in Mauro Data Mapper and you can browse through several different databases by selecting ‘Healthcare Terminologies’ in the Model Tree.

Terminology icon

Further details of the particular Terminology can be found in its details panel when selected.

Terminology details panel

To view information relating to a specific Term, select the relevant Term in the Model Tree and its corresponding details panel will be displayed.

Each Term has a:

  • Label
    This is the unique name of the Term.

  • Aliases
    Alternative names that can help locate the Term when searched for.

  • Terminology
    The Terminology that this Term is associated with.

  • Description
    A definition either written in html or plain text which explains any contextual details relating to the Term.

  • URL
    A URL to the original definition of the Term.

  • Classifications
    These are effectively tags that you can apply to the Term.

Below the details panel, is a list of Relationships between the selected Term and other Terms within the specified Terminology.

Term details panel

CodeSet

A CodeSet is a selection of terms, which may be taken from one or more Terminologies. For example, a CodeSet would be all the Terms that describe the different variants of Diabetes.

ReferenceDataModel

ReferenceDataModels are similar to a large database containing lots of detailed information and properties that would be too difficult to accurately manage in an Enumeration list.

For example, consider the NHS organisation codes. This list includes all the organisation codes that represent each hospital, GP surgery and other practices. Alongside this organisation code could also be a name, an address and the details of the main contact at each hospital or surgery. Therefore, each data item has many different properties associated with it.