Microorganisms Linked to Health Care–Associated Infections: Modernization of Terminology Resources for Reporting to the National Healthcare Safety Network

The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) needed a modernized approach to manage resources containing standardized terminology that specify microorganism data submitted electronically for legacy reporting. Health care-associated infections (HAIs) reported to NHSN require the submission of data regarding specific microorganisms attributed to the patient's condition. Data on microorganisms submitted to the NHSN electronically must use the SNOMED CT terminology standard. Terminology artifacts that guide submission of microorganism data have been maintained in spreadsheets that have become increasingly challenging to manage. This case report details the initial use case for the implementation of off-the-shelf software within the NHSN to modernize the maintenance of terminology assets. Resources that guide reporting microorganisms for HAIs were used as a prototype to demonstrate how a software application can be practically implemented to streamline the maintenance of complex terminology assets. Mission-critical artifacts have been reconciled and consolidated into a single source of truth knowledgebase using an off-the-shelf software solution. This report shares progress and lessons learned regarding the modernization of NHSN's Pathogen Codes resource and its derivative artifacts. A model is now available that can be replicated across other NHSN legacy artifacts. Our experience can be applied to other public health use cases and information systems facing similar challenges with attachments to legacy terminology resources and systems.