Action Verbs

Action Verbs

Action verbs should be written in noun form within SNOMED CT descriptions.  This most often means the root form of the verb will end with a suffix of –tion, -sion, -ment, -al, -ence, or -ance.

  • For example,

    • Destruction instead of destroy

    • Incision instead of incise

    • Replacement instead of replace

    • Removal instead of remove

    • Maintenance instead of maintain

However, the root form of the verb may be used when it does not make a word when ending in noun suffixes.

  • For example,

    • Control

    • Release 

    • Care

Lastly, the verb with a suffix of –ing may be used when the root form of the verb may cause ambiguity in the meaning, i.e., the root form of the verb could also be a physical object.

  • For example,

    • Wiring instead of wire

    • Suturing instead of suture

    • Splinting instead of splint

    • Mapping instead of map

    • Grafting instead of graft

Exceptions,

Common usage may dictate some exceptions.

  • For example,

    • Repair instead of repairment

Although ‘repairment’ may be considered a valid word, its use has fallen out of common usage in comparison to ‘repair’. 

Check for approved and unapproved naming patterns in the Precoordination Naming Pattern Project.

Past tense

A past tense verbal phrase should not be used to name a procedure, since it indicates that the procedure was done in the past.

  • Unacceptable example, 

    • Hand tendon ganglion excised indicates the procedure was done, as a past tense declarative statement. 

  • However, the following is an acceptable example using a noun phrase. 

    • {"timestamp":1757962891999,"msg":"A unknown Exception Occurred","errorMsg":"The provided AtlassianHostUser did not specify a user to act as.","code":"500"}

Situation hierarchy

Existing descriptions containing past tense verbs should be moved to the

{"timestamp":1757962891999,"msg":"A unknown Exception Occurred","errorMsg":"The provided AtlassianHostUser did not specify a user to act as.","code":"500"}
hierarchy.

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