| Abstract: | ![]()
ObjectiveElectronic laboratory reporting has been promoted as a public health priority.The Office of the U.S. National Coordinator for Health Information Technologyhas endorsed two coding systems: Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes(LOINC) for laboratory test orders and Systemized Nomenclature ofMedicine-Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) for test results.Materials and MethodsWe examined LOINC and SNOMED CT code use in electronic laboratory data reportedin 2011 by 63 non-federal hospitals to BioSense electronic syndromicsurveillance system. We analyzed the frequencies, characteristics, and codeconcepts of test orders and results.ResultsA total of 14,028,774 laboratory test orders or results were reported. No testorders used SNOMED CT codes. To describe test orders, 77% used a LOINC code, 17%had no value, and 6% had a non-informative value, “OTH”.Thirty-three percent (33%) of test results had missing or non-informative codes.For test results with at least one informative value, 91.8% had only LOINCcodes, 0.7% had only SNOMED codes, and 7.4% had both. Of 108 SNOMED CT codesreported without LOINC codes, 45% could be matched to at least one LOINCcode.ConclusionMissing or non-informative codes comprised almost a quarter of laboratory testorders and a third of test results reported to BioSense by non-federalhospitals. Use of LOINC codes for laboratory test results was more common thanuse of SNOMED CT. Complete and standardized coding could improve the usefulnessof laboratory data for public health surveillance and response. |
