ISO 21564:2025
(Main)Health informatics — Terminology resource map quality measures and requirements (MapQual)
Health informatics — Terminology resource map quality measures and requirements (MapQual)
This document provides quality requirements for producing a quality map between terminological systems. This document establishes measures which can be used to assess the quality and utility of a map between terminological resources. These measures can be used to determine the types and conformance levels of a map and their impact on common use cases in healthcare.
Titre manque
General Information
Relations
Standards Content (Sample)
International
Standard
ISO 21564
First edition
Health informatics — Terminology
2025-05
resource map quality measures and
requirements (MapQual)
Reference number
© ISO 2025
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: +41 22 749 01 11
Email: copyright@iso.org
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Determinants of map quality . 4
4.1 General .4
4.2 Terminological resource capacity .4
4.2.1 General .4
4.2.2 Determinant 1: Common categorial structure .4
4.2.3 Determinant 2: Shared semantic domain .5
4.2.4 Determinant 3: Language and translation .6
4.3 Equivalence of individual maps .7
4.3.1 General .7
4.3.2 Determinant 4: Equivalence identification/Publication .7
4.3.3 Determinant 5: Equivalence assessment .7
4.3.4 Determinant 6: Map set outliers .8
4.4 Building a map set .9
4.4.1 Map development process .9
4.4.2 Determinant 7: Clear documentation of the purpose of the map .9
4.4.3 Determinant 8: Currency of the map.10
4.4.4 Determinant 9: Business arrangements .10
4.4.5 Determinant 10: Methodology documentation .10
4.4.6 Validation .11
4.4.7 Determinant 13: Decision making — Consensus building process . 12
4.4.8 Determinant 14: Tools used to develop or maintain the map . 13
4.4.9 Determinant 15: Workforce .14
4.5 Map governance and maintenance .16
4.5.1 Determinant 16: Governance .16
4.5.2 Determinant 17: Map maintenance .16
5 Using map quality determinants . 17
5.1 General .17
5.2 Level of quality .17
6 Use cases .18
6.1 General .18
6.2 Determining requirements for a purpose .18
6.3 Direct patient care use case .18
6.3.1 General .18
6.3.2 Direct patient care level of conformance required and rationale .19
6.4 Administrative, financial or service planning use case .21
6.5 Administrative, financial or service planning level of conformance required and
rationale .21
6.6 Other use cases. 22
Annex A (informative) Example of map quality evaluation .23
Bibliography .24
iii
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee
has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely
with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the different types
of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use of (a)
patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed patent
rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received notice of (a)
patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are cautioned that
this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent database available at
www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions
related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the World Trade
Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 215, Health informatics.
This first edition of ISO 21564 cancels and replaces ISO/TS 21564:2019, which has been technically revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— revision of verbal forms and update of the title to reflect the inclusion of requirements.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
Introduction
0.1 General
Healthcare organizations and software vendors are increasingly using maps to convert data from one code
system to another. In the past, data in health information systems were largely used for organizations’
administrative planning and decision making. Data captured in electronic health record (EHR) systems for
patient care have a significant impact on patient safety. The use of these data as source of data for other
purposes and for information exchange in clinical care through the use of information technology is an
emerging problem. Where those data are translated through maps from one code system to another, the
safety and quality issues associated with data use can be significant. The increasing use of maps is costly.
The objective of this work is to provide a method to quantify the quality and requirements for map sets to:
a) establish standard quality conformance requirements for a map for a purpose;
b) assess the quality of a map for a purpose;
c) guide decision makers in map project requirements and processes;
d) establish pathways to improvement.
Maps are widely used but the quality of these maps cannot be accurately and consistently assessed and
compared against their intended use. It is not currently possible for decision makers to assess whether a
map will be worth the cost of building and whether the scope and map processes will deliver a map which is
able to meet the intended business case.
This document is based on ISO/TR 12300. Some terminological resources are so different in their content
and purpose that it is not possible to produce a useful map. Therefore, it is possible that the decision maker
needs to consider whether to map at all or to move to a new terminological resource.
Quality measures consider a wide range of requirements and processes relevant to the creation and
maintenance of data maps and their use (including manual and tool-based mapping), as well as for the map
sets delivered as a result of using that process.
0.2 Stakeholders and audience
This document is focused on the needs of:
a) implementers and software vendors developing and implementing maps sets;
b) health information and data managers developing and using maps sets;
c) data users such as researchers, government, decision makers;
d) developers of map sets in mapping teams, including terminologists, coders, clinical users, epidemiologists
and statisticians, project managers.
Additionally, the target audience for this document can include
— procurement officers who establish requirements of map product capacity and quality, or
— decision makers to determine and asses
...
Questions, Comments and Discussion
Ask us and Technical Secretary will try to provide an answer. You can facilitate discussion about the standard in here.