SNO-PT - D1.1 - Report on the SNOMED International membership management

The SNO-PT project aims to promote and expand the adoption of SNOMED CT in Portugal, aligning with the
objectives of the future European Health Data Space (EHDS) regulation to standardize health data, 
enhance interoperability, and drive digital transformation. Supported by the EU4Health Programme, the 
SNO-PT project contributes to improving healthcare delivery, administrative efficiency, research 
capabilities, policymaking, and regulatory activities. By advancing the adoption of the SNOMED
standardized clinical terminology, SNO-PT plays a critical role in fostering semantic interoperability within 
Portuguese healthcare and administrative systems.
The project main objectives focused (i) on renewing Portugal’s SNOMED International membership for 2023 
and 2024, (ii) distributing SNOMED CT licenses to healthcare organizations, (iii) raising awareness, 
providing education and training, and (iv) translating SNOMED CT terms for integration into the Portuguese 
healthcare system. All of these efforts were key to foster adoption and promote the expansion of SNOMED 
CT usage in Portugal. 
From the project's inception in January 2023 to December 2024, SNO-PT has achieved remarkable 
milestones:
The SNOMED International memberships for 2023 and 2024 were renewed ahead of schedule, ensuring the 
continuous use of SNOMED CT in Portugal.
Regarding license distribution, according to the Grant Agreement (GA), the target was to distribute 121 
licenses nationally by the end of the project, representing an additional 7 licenses beyond the baseline of 
114 licenses initially reported in the GA. However, between the submission of the proposal and the 
project's start, additional licenses were issued, raising the baseline to 132 distributed licenses. Despite 
this adjustment, the target remained to provide an additional 7 licenses. From January 2023 to December 
2024, 18 additional licenses were distributed, surpassing the target of providing 7 additional licenses by 
the end of the project.
Similarly, for the translated terms, in the GA the baseline was that 1,413 SNOMED CT terms had been 
translated into the national official language, Portuguese, at the beginning of the project. However, 
between the proposal's submission and the project's start, additional terms were translated, resulting in a 
new baseline of 3,477 translated terms. Nevertheless, based on the baseline of 1,413 terms provided in the 
GA and the target of 1,700 terms, the goal established in the GA was to translate 287 additional terms during 
the project. This target was successfully achieved, with a total of 4,185 terms translated between January 
2023 and December 2024.
These accomplishments have significantly enhanced both national and cross-border healthcare data 
storage, monitoring and exchange. Notably, the SNOMED CT use was leveraged for national initiatives such 
as the "Exames Sem Papel" (Paperless Exams) project, which digitizes medical exam workflows within 
Portugal’s National Health Service. Additionally, it has contributed to the quality of MyHealth@EU services, 
which facilitates cross-border healthcare data exchange within the European Union.
The communication, dissemination and training activities significantly contributed to promoting SNOMED 
CT adoption within Portugal healthcare and administrative related systems. These efforts include the 
creation of a dedicated SNO-PT webpage on the Centre for Clinical Terminologies (CTC) website, offering 
resources such as a project leaflet where the SNOMED CT benefits, and the SNO-PT impact were detailed. 
Moreover, a Support Manual for the National Catalogue of Clinical Analysis (CPAL) users was also created, 
and training sessions were conducted to improving the capabilities of the teams in charge of overseeing 
SNOMED CT implementation in Portugal. 
Additionally, the project has delivered impactful presentations at international forums, including the 
SNOMED International Business Meeting in Boston and the HL7 Europe 'Labs-on-FHIR' webinar series. 
These presentations highlighted Portugal’s innovative use of SNOMED CT, such as its application in 
laboratory processes and its role in enhancing healthcare data consistency and interoperability.
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Looking ahead, the SNO-PT project is set to contribute to significant cross-border initiatives. These include 
the EUVAC project, which aims to create a standardized digital framework for sharing vaccine data across 
Europe, and the Laboratory Results Report service under MyHealth@EU, which will incorporate SNOMED 
CT to improve the clarity and accuracy of laboratory result exchanges across European Union Member 
States. Such initiatives underscore SNOMED CT’s critical role in advancing cross-border healthcare 
communication and improving patient outcomes on a broader European scale.
In conclusion, the SNO-PT project has made substantial progress in strengthening healthcare 
interoperability in Portugal. Through effective membership management, license distribution, terminology 
translation, and comprehensive awareness and training initiatives, the project has laid a robust foundation 
for future advancements. As SNO-PT transitions to its next phase, SNO-PT 2, it will continue to build on 
these achievements, driving further innovation in healthcare interoperability and supporting both national 
and European digital health initiatives