We are building a system that uses LOINC to guide the users’ experience. Based on the documentation, we assumed that if a term has a SCALE Part with value ‘Qn’, it is “measurable” and should have units defined. However, we ran into a use case when the above assumption is broken. For example, the below LOINC codes have no values for any type of units: example_units, example_si_ucum_units, example_ucum_units.
Example LOINC codes: 66424-3, 8894-8, 8638-9,41395-5, 8897-1.
Is it a gap in the data? Or is our interpretation not correct.
The chosen example codes include clinical and lab topics. While unsure of your full use case, may I suggest you also include some logic for the property? These included Numeric Ratio, Time Stamp, Angle and Dosage. Cruise through the browser with Property:Angle or Property:NRAT to gain insight to the intent of the content. This content is very complex, and I would caution making short assumptions based on one attribute.
The TmStp property is explained for not having units by having the format is Date and Time.
Angle property is similarly self explanable.
Numeric Ratio property usually has insight from the analyte/component.
Wishing your project well and hope this helps
Dosage property could have different units based on the form of the medication (mg/mL syrup, mg tablet, mg/mL injection, etc.)
I can’t speak for Regenstrief on when it would be accomplished, but there has been past mention at public meetings where the units of measure weren’t always submitted by the end user; it is a project planned to fill out down the road.
