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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.
SNOMED CT International Edition: long descriptions
This announcement affects subscribers to the SNOMED CT International Edition item.
SNOMED International included 2 descriptions in the April 2024 release which were longer than 255 characters. The May 2024 release shortened these descriptions to within the current 255-character limit.
Subscribers to items in the SNOMED CT UK Edition category will only see the shortened descriptions in release content. UK users who use the latest 'Snapshot' file of the International Edition will also only see the shortened descriptions.
Read more on Delen.
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