Introducing the Canadian SNOMED CT Drug Extension at the June 2025 HTC Meeting

Hi all,

Several jurisdictions have requested Canada Health Infoway’s (Infoway) support to expand the current medication terminology beyond what is currently available in the Canadian Clinical Drug Data Set (CCDD) using an international terminology such as SNOMED CT. Infoway has approved a project to collaborate with Quebec and other interested Jurisdictions to develop a Canadian SNOMED CT Drug extension. This is a substantial, multi-year initiative with a broad scope and the potential to deliver long-term value to all key partners across Canada.

There is no plan to transition away from using CCDD for PrescribeIT®. We continue to have a requirement for PrescribeIT® stakeholders to support this data set as it provides considerable value to the e-prescribing eco-system, supports pharmacy workflow and patient safety, and enables clinicians to meet regulatory requirements via PrescribeIT® (e.g. for the Alberta Tracked Prescription Program).

A consultation table is being organized to include additional key partners and drug database experts from various jurisdictions. These participants will review and provide feedback on proposals, drafts, and deliverables related to the Canadian SNOMED CT Drug extension. A key success factor of the project is widespread adoption of the terminology across Canada. To facilitate this, it is essential that the terminology is tailored to align with the needs and future integration plans of interested jurisdictions.

The Canadian Medicines Terminology (CMT) Project encompasses the Canadian SNOMED CT drug extension model based on the Canadian-specific requirements, the data transformation process, the mapping rules and principles, the tooling enhancements, the customized modelling templates, and modelling editorial guidelines for representing complex drug products.

The adoption of SNOMED CT standardized codes allows for consistency in data handling and reduces variability in the interpretation of medication data across hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies in Canada. Each phase of the implementation includes SNOMED CT CA codes that align with the international drug data standards, enhancing cross-jurisdictional compatibility. This interoperability is particularly important as provinces like Quebec and other jurisdictions begin integrating SNOMED CT CA for drug data, enabling more reliable medication information sharing across regions.

Would you like to learn more about this project? Join us at the June Health Terminologies Community meeting scheduled for June 17, 2025. Register here for the meeting .

Thank you!