Editing Medical classification (section)

== Classification types ==
Many different medical classifications exist, though they occur in two main groupings: ''Statistical classifications'' and ''Nomenclatures''.

A statistical classification brings together similar clinical concepts and groups them into categories. The number of categories is limited so that the classification does not become too big. An example of this is used by the [[International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems]] (known as ICD). ICD-10 groups diseases of the circulatory system into one "chapter", known as Chapter {{rn|IX}}, covering codes I00–I99. One of the codes in this chapter (I47.1) has the code title ([[rubric]]) ''[[Supraventricular tachycardia]]''. However, there are several other clinical concepts that are also classified here. Among them are paroxysmal [[atrial tachycardia]], paroxysmal [[junctional tachycardia]], auricular tachycardia and nodal tachycardia.

Another feature of statistical classifications is the provision of residual categories for "other" and "unspecified" conditions that do not have a specific category in the particular classification.

In a [[Medical terminology|nomenclature]] there is a separate listing and code for every clinical concept. So, in the previous example, each of the tachycardias listed would have its own code. This makes nomenclatures unwieldy for compiling health statistics.

Types of coding systems specific to health care include:
* [[Diagnosis code|Diagnostic codes]]
** Are used to determine diseases, disorders, and symptoms
** Can be used to measure morbidity and mortality
** Examples: [[ICD-9-CM]], [[ICD-10]], [[ICD-11]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2020-07-17|title=ICD - ICD-10-CM - International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification|url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/icd/icd10cm.htm|access-date=2020-11-04|website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|language=en-us}}</ref>
* [[Procedure code|Procedural codes]]
** Are numbers or alphanumeric codes used to identify specific health interventions taken by medical professionals.
** Examples: [[Current Procedural Terminology|CPT]], [[HCPCS]], [[International Classification of Procedures in Medicine|ICPM]], [[International Classification of Health Interventions|ICHI]]
* [[Pharmaceutical code]]s
** Are used to identify medications
** Examples: [[Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System|ATC]], [[National Drug Code|NDC]], [[ICD-11]]
* [[Topographical code]]s
** Are codes that indicate a specific location in the body
** Examples :[[ICD-O]], [[SNOMED]], [[ICD-11]]