Rita D. Zielstorff, RN, MS, FAAN The purpose for which a
nomenclature is designed dictates its characteristics. Very few
clinical nomenclatures have been designed for use in automated
record systems. For this reason, system designers have had to
adapt existing nomenclatures and classification systems for use
in the automated systems they develop. Researchers have
delineated the characteristics of a "good" nomenclature for
purposes of structured data capture, storage, analysis, and
reporting. Some of these characteristics are: - domain
completeness - non-ambiguity v - clinical utility - multiple
axes - and combinatorial. In addition, the terms should have
unique and context-free term identifiers, each term should have
a definition, terms should be arranged hierarchically with the
ability to have multiple parents, and it must be possible to map
terms to other standard classifications. These concepts are
defined and rationalized in the context of the functions
expected of an automated record system. Citation: Zi