“In the examples above, as in clinical terminology, words can take on different meanings depending on factors like time or place (i.e., context).
Furthermore, clinicians and organizations use different clinical terms that mean the same thing. For example, the terms heart attack, myocardial infarction, and MI may mean the same thing to a cardiologist, but, to a computer, they are all different. There is a need to exchange clinical information consistently between different health care providers, care settings, researchers and others (semantic interoperability), and because medical information is recorded differently from place to place (on paper or electronically), a comprehensive, unified medical terminology system is needed as part of the information infrastructure.”
Article
Marcia Gulesian, The Information Technology Forum, 20 July 2009
