SNOMED CT-AU and Australian Medicines Terminology November 2024 Release

The National Clinical Terminology Service (NCTS) is pleased to announce that the November combined release of SNOMED CT®‑AU [1] and the Australian Medicines Terminology (AMT) is now available to registered users from the NCTS website.

The latest Release Note and all release files (RF2 bundle, reference sets) can be downloaded from the ACCESS tab.

SNOMED CT-AU with AMT version 4 available in Production

SNOMED CT-AU with AMT v4 is available in production now. Please note that SNOMED CT-AU with AMT v3 will no longer receive updates, with August 2024 being the final release for this version.

For those who require technical implementation assistance, please send inquiries via the online support request form or email [email protected].

Changes to SNOMED CT-AU release files

The changes to SNOMED CT-AU release files are to better align the Australian edition with what has become standard internationally.

Please note the following changes:

• Inclusion of International (en-GB and en-US) dialect reference sets within the Language reference set file.
• Publishing simple reference sets together in a single file.
• Representing concrete domains (numbers and units) in a new file format instead of reference sets.
• Removing a redundant “RF2Release” intermediate subdirectory from the zip file.

In addition, the RF2 delta file is no longer included in the SNOMED CT-AU RF2 bundle. The SNOMED International Delta Generation Tool is provided for users who need it. This tool allows users to generate deltas between two specific release dates.

For those who require technical assistance, please send inquiries via the online support request form or email [email protected].

Changes to SNOMED CT-AU change report

The downloadable SNOMED CT-AU change report is no longer available and is replaced by a widget that allows users to generate a delta between the current and previous release. The widget is now available from the NCTS website.

SNOMED International Community Consultation on the Proposal to Increase Description Length Limit

SNOMED International has shared their proposal to increase the maximum potential length of Fully Specified Name and Synonym descriptions from 255 characters to 4096 characters. The proposal and supporting information can be found here: BLOG: SNOMED International seeks community feedback on proposed description character limit increase.

It is important to note that Australian SNOMED CT and Australian Medicines Terminology content have always had description lengths longer than 255 characters.

SNOMED International is seeking feedback from implementers during this consultation period that will close on 31 December 2024. Feedback can be provided via this form: Feedback Form.

 More information can be found below:

• BLOG: SNOMED International seeks community feedback on proposed description character limit increase
• SNOMED International Proposal to Increase Description Length Limit

If you have any questions about this consultation by SNOMED International, contact NCTS Terminology Support at [email protected]. 

Where can I find technical guides and other resources?

All SNOMED CT‑AU and AMT documentation, including technical and implementation guides, is freely available for download from the NCTS Document Library without registering or logging in. However, if you are a registered user we recommend that you log in before downloading any material so that we can better target our communications to you, based on the resources that you have downloaded. 

Terminology browsers

Shrimp [2] is available online at https://ontoserver.csiro.au/shrimp. Search both SNOMED CT‑AU and AMT content, or browse the hierarchies by selecting the latest version of “SNOMED Clinical Terms Australian Extension” in the drop-down menu. 

Feedback

Development by the NCTS relies on the input and cooperation of the Australian healthcare community. We value your feedback and encourage questions, comments, or suggestions about our products. You can contact us by completing the online support request form, emailing [email protected], or calling 1300 901 001.

Thank you for your continued support. 

For more information on how the Agency handles your personal information, how you can access and seek correction of the information, how privacy complaints can be made, and how the Agency deals with such complaints, please see the Privacy Policy.

[1] "SNOMED" and "SNOMED CT" are registered trademarks of the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO).

[2] Shrimp was developed by the Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC).