How the Read Dictionary is Structured
From 1st April 2018, Read codes have been superseded by SNOMED CT, see SNOMED CT for details, however all data is added to Vision 3 as Read codes and is dual coded in the background.
Read codes are classified into 29 major chapter headings which cover the whole of medicine, the version referred to here is Read 5 version 2.
You do not need to learn any of the codes in order to select an entry, although in time you may remember the main chapters, for example, G for Circulatory system diseases , G30 Acute myocardial infarction or H for Respiratory system diseases, H33 Asthma.
Chapters A-Z on the whole cover a classification of systems:
- A Infectious/parasitic diseases
- B Neoplasms
- C Endocr/nutr/metab/immun. disease
- D Blood/blood forming organs dis
- E Mental disorders
- F Nervous system.sense organ dis
- G Circulatory system diseases
- H Respiratory system diseases
- J Digestive system diseases
- K Genitourinary system diseases
- L Pregnancy/childbirth/ puerperium
- M Skin/subcutaneous tissue disease
- N Musculoskelet / connective tissue
- P Congenital anomalies
- Q Perinatal conditions
- R [D] Symptoms, signs, ill-def. cond
- S Injury and poisoning
- T Causes of injury and poisoning
- Z Unspecified conditions (and also used for many community Read terms)
Chapters 0-9 cover amongst others: symptoms, on examination, X-ray and pathology, screening, operations and administration.
- 0 Occupations
- 1 History / symptoms
- 2 Examination / Signs
- 3 Diagnostic procedures
- 4 Laboratory procedures
- 5 Radiology/physics in medicine
- 6 Preventive procedures
- 7 Operations, procedures, sites
- 8 Other therapeutic procedures
- 9 Administration
For example, a sore throat entry:
- A symptom is commonly from Chapter 1- History/symptom, for example, a sore throat symptom has a code of 1C9.. 00.
- If the pathological evidence points to an infectious sore throat, then select a code from Chapter A - Infectious/parasitic diseases, for example, Streptococcal sore throat, A340. 00.
- A code from Chapter H Respiratory Systems Diseases could be more appropriate, for example H121 Sore throat - chronic or H02 Sore throat NOS.
- Codes with Z refer to unspecified conditions, for example, Sore throat symptoms NOS, IC0Z. 00 where NOS is not specified or non-specific. It is recommended that NOS entries should be avoided if possible.
The chapter headings and their codes can be detailed down to five hierarchical levels:
- H Respiratory system diseases
- H0 Acute respiratory infections
- H02 Acute pharyngitis
- H023 Acute bacterial pharyngitis
- H0230 Acute pneumococcal pharyngitis
- H023 Acute bacterial pharyngitis
- H02 Acute pharyngitis
- H0 Acute respiratory infections
Read codes can, optionally, be written with extra dots to indicate Synonyms, for example H02.. or H023.
Synonyms and the Preferred Term
Synonyms are other ways of using different words to describe the same condition. Not all terms have synonyms, but where there are synonyms, one of them is the Preferred term, this is highlighted with an asterisk *.
For example, the synonyms for H02. 00 Acute pharyngitis are:
- *Acute pharyngitis (preferred term) - code H02.. 00
- Sore throat NOS - code H02..11
- Viral sore throat NOS - H02..12
To view Synonyms or the Preferred Term:
- From the Read Dictionary screen, tick either the Display Preferred Term and/or Display Synonyms options.
