Award-Winning Collaboration Highlights the Impact of the DSMP

The Data Specification Management Process (DSMP) has been recognised with First Prize in the HSE Centre Category at the HSE Integrated Healthcare Awards, recognising its contribution to improving data quality, standardisation, and interoperability across the Irish health service. The award followed a poster submission by Clíona O'Donovan, Head of Data Science in the National Office of Clinical Audit, highlighting the achievements and impact of the DSMP.

Supporting Better Health Data through collaboration

The DSMP is built on the principle that data designed consistently from the outset can support patient care, service planning, reporting, analytics, research, and interoperability.

By bringing together clinical, technical, standards, data science, and information management expertise early in the dataset development lifecycle, the process helps ensure data are specified once and reused many times. This approach reduces duplication, improves data quality, and increases the value derived from information collected across healthcare settings.

The DSMP embeds interoperability, terminology, and secondary-use requirements from the beginning, helping organisations avoid costly redesigns and creating datasets that meet healthcare needs.

Delivering Measurable Results

The impact of the DSMP is evident across the health service. Achievements to date include:

• Publication of 37 SNOMED CT Reference Sets.
• Addition of 10 datasets to the HSE National Data Dictionary.
• Integration of interoperability and secondary-use considerations into dataset design from the outset.
• Greater consistency in how health information is specified, collected, and shared across services.
• Together, these achievements are helping to build a stronger foundation for trusted, standardised health data in Ireland.

A Shared Achievement

This award reflects the contributions of clinicians, subject matter experts, national programmes, terminology and standards specialists, data professionals, information management experts, and technical teams. It demonstrates what can be achieved when disciplines collaborate to ensure health data are structured, standardised, and fit for purpose from the beginning.

Case Study: Chronic Disease Management Programme

A powerful example of the value delivered through the DSMP is the Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Programme. Working with clinicians and the National Release Centre, the programme developed and implemented a clinically validated SNOMED CT reference set, creating a standardised approach to recording chronic disease information within GP systems.

The process mapped clinician-preferred terminology to SNOMED CT concepts, validated terms with subject matter experts, and embedded them within the technology solution before implementation. This ensured clinician ownership while enabling data to be captured consistently and analysed reliably across practices.

As a result, the CDM Programme now benefits from high-quality structured and coded data that support reporting, analytics, and decision-making. The programme can confidently analyse:

• Disease prevalence and trends across the population.
• Clinical outcomes such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and HbA1c measures.
• Population health indicators, risk factors, and health behaviours.
• Programme participation and patient journeys.
• Emerging trends and opportunities for service improvement.
• Programme effectiveness and patient outcomes.
• Evidence-based planning for service expansion and additional patient cohorts.

Because the data are captured using standardised SNOMED CT terminology, information can be exchanged between systems without loss of meaning, supporting interoperability. Data collected once can be reused many times for patient care, service planning, audit, quality improvement, research, and population health management.

The CDM Programme demonstrates the importance of engaging with the DSMP early in dataset development. By incorporating standards, terminology, and interoperability requirements from the outset, programmes can create trusted data assets that support clinical care, decision-making, research, and health system transformation. This provides a practical example of how standardised datasets and SNOMED CT terminology unlock the full value of health information and deliver lasting benefits for patients, clinicians, services, and policymakers.

To find out more contact dsmp@hse.ie