SNOMED-CT Implementation Strategy in Nursing Practice
This paper presents a strategic action plan for implementing SNOMED-CT clinical terminology in nursing practice. SNOMED-CT, originally developed by the College of American Pathologists and now managed by an international health terminology standards organization, enriches electronic medical records with structured, meaningful clinical data. The paper identifies three primary stakeholder groups — healthcare professionals, support staff, and project managers — and outlines the specific roles and responsibilities each group carries in a successful implementation. It also proposes a communication plan built around dissemination programs, systematic data entry, and ongoing feedback mechanisms designed to support affordable, high-quality patient care.
- Introduction to SNOMED-CT: Background, definition, and rationale for SNOMED-CT
- Role of Healthcare Professionals: Clinicians as direct care providers using EHR
- Support Staff and Project Manager Responsibilities: Technical assistance, training, and oversight roles
- Communication Plan for Implementation: Dissemination, data entry, and feedback strategies
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What makes this paper effective
- Clearly defines each stakeholder group and assigns concrete, distinct responsibilities, avoiding overlap and confusion.
- Connects the communication plan directly back to the overarching goal of affordable, high-quality care, giving the plan a coherent purpose.
- Moves logically from problem context (what SNOMED-CT is and why it matters) through stakeholder analysis to actionable implementation steps.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates stakeholder mapping applied to a health informatics implementation scenario. Rather than treating implementation as a purely technical problem, the author identifies human actors, assigns strategic actions to each, and ties those actions to measurable outcomes — a technique common in healthcare project management and health policy writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a definitional and contextual introduction to SNOMED-CT, then devotes one paragraph each to healthcare professionals and to support staff and project managers. A final section synthesizes these roles into a three-part communication plan (dissemination programs, systematic data entry, and feedback loops). The references section cites two authoritative sources: AHRQ and the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization.
Introduction to SNOMED-CT
SNOMED-CT is a clinical terminology originally introduced by the College of American Pathologists and currently managed by an international organization that sets health terminology standards. In general, SNOMED-CT adds understandable, structured meaning to electronic medical records and plays a major role in the delivery of affordable, high-quality care through the meaningful, effective representation of medical information ("SNOMED CT — Adding Value," 2014). Given its significance in enhancing health care delivery, it is increasingly important to develop a suitable strategic action plan for implementing SNOMED-CT in nursing practice.
The strategic action plan entails identifying the major stakeholders, determining suitable strategic actions or initiatives for each stakeholder, and developing an effective communication plan for implementing this clinical terminology. For this plan, the major stakeholders in the implementation process include healthcare professionals providing patient care, support staff interacting with patients, and the project manager. These stakeholders are important in the implementation process because of the various roles they play in the delivery of patient care — particularly with regard to the quality and affordability of care in nursing practice.
Role of Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare professionals will play an important role in implementing the nursing terminology in nursing practice because they are directly involved in the provision of patient care. In this process, these professionals will be responsible for providing care to patients and will act as clinical experts who interact with electronic health records with regard to patient information. Therefore, the main role of healthcare professionals in implementing this clinical terminology in nursing practice is providing patient care while engaging with electronic medical records in a meaningful and structured way.
References
"Engaging Stakeholders in the Effective Health Care Program" (n.d.). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Health & Human Services website: http://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/tools-and-resources/how-to-get-involved-in-the-effective-health-care-program/engaging-stakeholders-in-the-effective-health-care-program-module-iv/
"SNOMED CT — Adding Value to Electronic Health Records." (2014, February). The International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization. Retrieved October 9, 2015, from http://www.ihtsdo.org/resource/resource/16
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