Terminologists' Eye View

[Julie Green]

First I’d like to say that as a veterinarian, terminologist and
informaticist, I am very pleased to see others in my profession
starting to take a passionate interest in the importance and necessity
of good information standards. I think we are all in agreement that
having one set of workable standards for communication and terminology
will be of long term benefit to everyone. The problem as usual is how
to get there by working together as a community and not tearing each
other apart. Unfortunately, as I have read the posts in this
discussion forum, there seems to be too much misinformation, partial
truths and misguided assumptions that are “fanning the (unwelcome)
flames”. And I fear that if things continue as is those flames will
consume the sense of the discussion and any momentum that we might
gain by coming together towards a common goal will be lost. So before
we go any further, I’d like to ask that all parties stop and think
before you post in this VERY PUBLIC forum…be SURE that your facts are
true, be sure that you are only speaking about things you have real
experience with, and be open to listening to others. Let’s have a
healthy conversation that we can be proud of, not embarrassed by.
And remember that realistically, board posts and email discussion are
NOT going to make any of this happen…we are trying to convince
everyone (vendors, practices, universities, standards organizations,
etc, etc) that we can work together and develop standards that will be
robust, sustainable, and capable of growth. I’m not sure that anyone
following these discussions would have that impression.

Jeff, from our lab, will shortly be posting here, for those who are
not familiar with us, an introduction and our ideas and thoughts on
standards, terminology, and how we might participate. I encourage
other groups out there to take some time and formulate the same kind
of post…who are you, what do you hope to accomplish in this group…how
can you contribute… If we all do that, then maybe we can see a
clearer path to a workable group.