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Share your views on SNOMED International's proposal to increase description lengths
We want to update you on SNOMED International's proposal to increase the maximum length of Fully Specified Name (FSN) and Synonym descriptions from 255 to 4,096 characters. More information about this proposal is available in the Delen news article.
The change will affect UK users of content from SNOMED International’s Medicinal Product Hierarchy, whether taken from the SNOMED CT International Edition or the SNOMED CT UK Edition. However, it will not affect the NHS dictionary of medicines and devices (dm+d), and we do not plan to make any dm+d changes in response to this proposal.
We are reviewing how this change might affect FSNs in the SNOMED CT UK Drug Extension, but we do not expect it to affect Preferred Terms (PTs) in the UK Drug Extension.
SNOMED International currently plan to implement this change in January 2026, with it taking effect in April 2026 UK releases.
If UK stakeholders need more time to implement this change or have any questions or concerns, contact SNOMED International directly at:
We also request that UK stakeholders copy:
so NHS England can stay informed of any feedback.
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