Format
A formal, distinct, and unique 6-part name is given to each term for test or observation identity. The database currently has over 58,000 observation terms that can be accessed and understood universally. Each database record includes six fields for the unique specification of each identified single test, observation, or measurement:
- Component- what is measured, evaluated, or observed (example: urea,...)
- Kind of property- characteristics of what is measured, such as length, mass, volume, time stamp and so on
- Time aspect- interval of time over which the observation or measurement was made
- System- context or specimen type within which the observation was made (example: blood, urine,...)
- Type of scale- the scale of measure. The scale may be quantitative, ordinal, nominal or narrative
- Type of method- procedure used to make the measurement or observation
A unique code (format: nnnnn-n) is assigned to each entry upon registration. Other database fields include status and mapping information for database change management, synonyms, related terms, substance information (e.g. molar mass, CAS registry number), choices of answers for nominal scales, translations.
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