Overview
ISO/TS 22990:2019 defines a core classification framework to support the integration of clinical terminology from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western medicine. Its purpose is to provide a structured, top-level categorial system for organizing professional and non-technical terms used in standardized electronic medical records (EMR) and other health IT systems. The specification helps ensure TCM and biomedical concepts can be indexed, retrieved and aggregated consistently for clinical care, research and system interoperability.
Key topics
- Core categorial structure: the document establishes 27 top-level categories (for example: Symptom and sign, Pattern, Disease, Physiological structure, Functional system, Medication, Diagnosis, Therapy, Laboratory procedure, Specimen, Health management, Equipment, Healthcare record, Theory and experience, Clinical event, etc.).
- Integration focus: designed to bridge TCM‑specific concepts (e.g., pattern/syndrome identification) with Western medicine clinical terms within a single terminological system.
- EMR applicability: supports both professional clinical terms and non-technical record items used in electronic medical records.
- Terminology engineering foundations: emphasizes class hierarchies, concept systems and the need for categorial structures to manage large term sets.
- Interoperability context: acknowledges existing resources such as SNOMED CT and complements TCM terminology standardization efforts (e.g., ISO 19465).
Practical applications
- EHR / EMR implementation: provides a reference framework for mapping and classifying TCM and biomedical terms in patient records.
- Terminology development: guides terminologists and ontology engineers when constructing computable TCM–Western integrated vocabularies.
- Health IT vendors: use the categorial framework to design data models, search/indexing functions, and clinical decision support that span both medical traditions.
- Hospitals and clinics: standardize documentation for mixed-practice settings (integrative medicine departments, TCM hospitals).
- Research & analytics: enables consistent aggregation and comparison of clinical data across TCM and Western medicine for outcomes research and public health surveillance.
- Regulators and policymakers: inform interoperability and coding policy where integration of traditional and conventional medicine is required.
Who should use this standard
- Health informaticians, terminology specialists, EHR vendors, clinical coders, integrative medicine practitioners, standards bodies and healthcare organizations implementing cross‑discipline clinical documentation and data exchange.
Related standards
- ISO 19465 (standardization of TCM clinical terminology) - complementary reference for TCM term content.
- SNOMED CT - commonly used clinical terminology system referenced for integration and mapping considerations.
Keywords: ISO/TS 22990:2019, traditional Chinese medicine, TCM, clinical terminological system, terminology integration, electronic medical records, EMR, interoperability, SNOMED CT, classification framework.