RxNorm

RxNorm is a standardized nomenclature for clinical drugs and drug delivery devices, developed and regulated by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM). It is designed to facilitate the exchange of clinical health information between systems and providers. RxNorm provides unique identifiers (RxCUIs) for clinical drugs (active ingredient + strength + dose form) and certain combinations of clinical drugs.

Overview

RxNorm is part of the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), which is a compendium of many controlled vocabularies in the biomedical sciences. It provides a standard, normalized naming and coding system for medications and serves as a bridge between different terminologies and coding systems. This makes it a crucial tool in Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Pharmacy Information Systems (PIS), and other health information technology systems.

Structure

RxNorm's structure is based on its three primary types of concepts: Semantic Clinical Drug (SCD), Semantic Clinical Drug Component (SCDC), and Semantic Branded Drug (SBD). Each of these concepts is assigned a unique RxNorm Concept Unique Identifier (RxCUI).

Usage

RxNorm is widely used in the healthcare industry for a variety of applications, including electronic prescribing, medication history functionality, and decision support in EHR systems. It is also used in research and clinical trials to ensure consistent and accurate communication of medication information.

Updates and Maintenance

RxNorm is updated monthly by the NLM to include new FDA-approved drugs, and to maintain synchronization with other related terminologies such as SNOMED CT, LOINC, and NCI Thesaurus.

See Also

• Unified Medical Language System
• Electronic Health Records
• Pharmacy Information Systems
• SNOMED CT
• LOINC
• NCI Thesaurus