Message-ID: <> Subject: Exported From Confluence MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_Part_938_1266788.1563458848193" ------=_Part_938_1266788.1563458848193 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: file:///C:/exported.html 2.3. Reference Set

2.3. Reference Set

A re= ference set is defined as: a standard format for maintaining and distri= buting a set of references to SNOMED CT components.




  • A reference set may also associate referenced components = with additional information such as:
    • Ordered lists of components
    • Sets of associations between components
    • Mapping between SNOMED CT concepts and other systems codes,= classifications, or knowledge resources.

Hence, reference sets are a mechanism that can be us= ed to represent subsets and value sets of SNOMED CT components= . However, they can also be used for many other purposes, including = those summarized in 3.2. Use C= ases. The following table lists the attributes used in the s= tandard reference set format, and their purpose.

Table 2.3-1: Standard reference = set format

Attribute Purpose

 General versioning information

effective= Time


moduleId<= /em>


Reference set identifier

referencedCompon= entId

Component reference

<attribute= -1 

  =E2=80=A6 attribute-n>

Additional information depending on reference s= et type

Reference S= ets in an Extension

SNOMED CT is designed to allow the International Edition to be extended to meet national or local requirements. A SNOMED = CT Extension may contain components of various types including concepts, descriptions, relationships and derivatives including reference sets. Since the International Release and ex= tensions share a common structure, the same application software can be use= d to enter, store and process information from different extensions. Extens= ions can also be shared without requiring additional software procurement o= r development.  Most E xtensions are managed by  Members or Affiliates of SNOMED International.

Reference sets authored in a= n extension use the same common format as those in the International Editio= n. This makes it easier to use the same software to create, maintain and sh= are extension reference sets, as used by international reference sets. The = reference set format can also be customized in an extension using a standar= dized customization approach, as explained in section 4.3. Pre-defined an= d Customized Reference Sets.