Overview
ISO/TS 22773:2019 outlines categorial structures for representing the decocting process in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This technical specification by ISO’s Health Informatics Technical Committee provides a formalized concept system designed to capture the domain constraints and semantic relationships involved in decoction - the traditional preparation method involving boiling herbal ingredients to produce medicinal liquids or granules.
Decoction is a key therapeutic method in TCM, widely used globally in both clinical and research contexts. However, variability in describing decoction processes has historically hindered data synthesis and interoperability among health IT systems and terminological resources. This ISO specification addresses that challenge by standardizing categorial structures, enabling clearer semantic representation and improved communication across terminological and electronic health record (EHR) systems.
The document focuses exclusively on the decocting process itself, excluding models of the decoction pieces or downstream manufacturing and packaging processes.
Key Topics
ISO/TS 22773:2019 defines several core components critical for systematically describing the decocting process:
- Decoction: Liquid medicine obtained by boiling decoction pieces in water or alcoholic solvents.
- Decocting process: The procedure, including parameters like temperature, pressure, time, and apparatus used for making the decoction.
- Characterizing categories such as insertion sequence (order of adding ingredients), prepared decoction pieces (post-treatment herbs ready for boiling), and decoction solvents (water, rice wine, alcohol).
- Semantic links to represent relationships such as:
- is applied to - linking process to parameters (duration, temperature)
- insert in - describing the timing/order of adding ingredients
- is boiled in - connecting materials, solvents, and apparatus involved
- is merged with - representing combined decocting processes
- is a result of - linking prepared decoction pieces to their preparation methods
- use - denoting apparatus or materials utilized in decocting
These standardized semantic links and categories enable precise and computable descriptions of complex decocting workflows.
Applications
The standardized categorial structures provided by ISO/TS 22773:2019 have practical impacts across various health informatics and research domains:
- Terminological system development: Enables creation or enrichment of clinical vocabularies and ontologies specifically representing decocting processes in TCM.
- Electronic Health Records (EHRs): Supports consistent encoding and sharing of TCM decoction prescriptions and clinical data, facilitating interoperability.
- Clinical decision support: Improves prescribing accuracy and treatment standardization based on well-defined decoction parameters.
- Research and meta-analyses: Addresses heterogeneity issues in clinical trials by providing a comprehensive framework to represent decoction methods, allowing improved data integration and synthesis.
- Text mining & data processing: Assists in extracting structured information from unstructured TCM literature and historical documents relating to decoction practices.
- Knowledge databases and automated literature processing: Supports vendors and researchers by standardizing concepts for systematized medical knowledge management.
Related Standards
ISO/TS 22773:2019 complements several other important standards in health informatics and TCM:
- ISO 17115: Vocabulary for terminological systems in health informatics.
- ISO/TS 18062: Categorial structures for representing herbal medicaments.
- ISO 18668-1: Coding systems and rules for Chinese medicines.
- ISO 18665:2015: Standards for herbal decoction apparatus.
- ISO 80000: International system of quantities and units, applied here for specifying solvent volumes and other measurable parameters.
- EN 12264:2005: Categorial structures for systems of concepts in health informatics.
- WHO International standard terminologies on Traditional Medicine in the Western Pacific Region, providing complementary terminology guidance in TCM.
Keywords: ISO 22773, Traditional Chinese Medicine, decoction process, health informatics, categorial structures, semantic links, decocting parameters, terminological systems, electronic health records, clinical decision support, herbal medicine standardization.