Overview - ISO 19465:2017 (Traditional Chinese medicine TCM clinical terminological systems)
ISO 19465:2017 specifies a core categorial structure for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinical terminological systems (TCMCTS). It defines the upper‑level categories and hierarchical nomenclature used to organise clinical TCM terms so they can be coded, stored, retrieved and processed by computer systems. The standard is applicable only to clinical terminological systems within TCM disciplines - it does not define comprehensive TCM categories, individual concept terms, conceptual definitions of hierarchy nodes, or categories for other traditional medicines (e.g., Kampo, Korean medicine).
Key topics and technical requirements
- Categorial structure: A 17‑class hierarchical framework is defined to represent TCM clinical information. Major superclasses include:
- Symptom and sign
- Four examination objects (inspection, auscultation/olfaction, inquiry, palpation)
- Disease and pattern (disease subclasses and pattern differentiation)
- TCM operational approach
- Cause and mechanism of disease
- Theory and experience
- Therapeutic principle and method of treatment
- Chinese medicinals
- Body system; staging and transmission/transmutation
- TCM internal substance; environment/geographic location in TCM
- TCM equipment and device; unit of measurement and qualifier value
- Linkage; medical case record structure; phrase
- Classification principles: The standard mandates three guiding principles for TCMCTS design:
- Practicability - focus on clinical application and usability (supports EMRs and insurance).
- Internality and systematic feature - terms should be organised systematically; each concept belongs to one place in the hierarchy.
- Extendibility - the framework must allow future expansion without breaking integrity.
- Scope limits: Clarifies what is outside scope (comprehensive TCM categorial structures, concept definitions, individual terms, and non‑TCM traditions).
Practical applications and target users
- Who uses it:
- Developers of TCM clinical terminology systems and health IT vendors
- Electronic medical record (EMR/EHR) implementers and clinical informaticians
- Clinicians, coders and researchers working with TCM clinical data
- Organizations mapping TCM terms to biomedical terminologies for interoperability
- Practical value:
- Standardises high‑level TCM clinical concepts for consistent data capture
- Facilitates computer processing, indexing, retrieval and aggregation of TCM clinical records
- Supports interoperability and mapping between TCM terminologies and biomedical systems
- Provides a foundation for clinical decision support, research and health insurance coding
Related standards and references
- Developed by ISO/TC 249 (Traditional Chinese medicine).
- Terminology and concept sources cited in the document include ISO 1087‑1:2000, ISO 18104:2014 and ISO 18308:2011.
- The full standard is available from the ISO Webstore (ISO.org) for implementation and compliance details.