Overview
This endpoint provides faceted search capabilities for medical terminology, returning structured filters and categories that can be used to refine search results. It enables users to explore medical vocabularies through multiple dimensions such as domains, vocabularies, concept classes, and other medical attributes.Query Parameters
Base search query to generate facets for (optional for general facets)
Target vocabularies for facet generation (comma-separated)
Examples:
Examples:
SNOMED
, ICD10CM,LOINC
, RXNORM,NDC
Pre-filter facets to specific domains (comma-separated)
Examples:
Examples:
Condition,Procedure
, Drug,Device
Pre-filter facets to specific concept classes (comma-separated)
Types of facets to include (comma-separated)
Options:
Options:
vocabulary
, domain
, concept_class
, standard_concept
, specialty
, usage_frequency
, date_range
, language
, all
Include concept counts for each facet value
Include percentage distributions for facet values
Include trend information for facet values
Medical specialty context for facet relevance
Examples:
Examples:
cardiology
, oncology
, pediatrics
, emergency_medicine
User type for facet customization
Options:
Options:
physician
, nurse
, pharmacist
, researcher
, patient
, student
Depth of facet hierarchy to return
Options:
Options:
minimal
, standard
, detailed
, comprehensive
Minimum concept count for facet values to be included
Maximum number of values per facet type (max 200)
Sort order for facet values
Options:
Options:
count
, alphabetical
, relevance
, frequency
, recent_usage
Include hierarchical facet structures where applicable
Include facets for related concepts
Temporal scope for facet generation
Options:
Options:
current
, historical
, trending
, recent
, all_time
Language for facet labels and descriptions
Regional variant for terminology preferences
Examples:
Examples:
US
, UK
, AU
, CA
Filter facets by standard concept status:
S
, N
, C
Include facets for invalid/deprecated concepts
Specific vocabulary release version (defaults to latest)
Response
Indicates if the request was successful
Usage Examples
Basic Facets for Query
Get facets for a specific search query:Comprehensive Facet Analysis
Get detailed facets with all information:Medical Specialty Focused Facets
Get facets relevant to a specific medical specialty:Vocabulary-Specific Facets
Get facets for specific vocabularies:General Navigation Facets
Get facets for general terminology navigation:User-Contextualized Facets
Get facets customized for specific user types:Facet Types
Vocabulary Facets
- Purpose: Filter by source vocabulary
- Use Cases: Compare terminology coverage, choose appropriate vocabulary
- Values: SNOMED, ICD10CM, LOINC, RxNorm, HCPCS, HCPCS
- Metadata: Organization, version, update frequency, coverage
Domain Facets
- Purpose: Filter by medical domain
- Use Cases: Focus on specific types of medical concepts
- Values: Condition, Procedure, Drug, Device, Measurement, Observation
- Hierarchy: Sub-domains and categories within each domain
Concept Class Facets
- Purpose: Filter by concept classification
- Use Cases: Refine search to specific concept types
- Values: Clinical Finding, Procedure, Pharmaceutical Product, etc.
- Context: Vocabulary-specific concept classes
Specialty Facets
- Purpose: Filter by medical specialty relevance
- Use Cases: Find concepts relevant to specific medical practices
- Values: Cardiology, Oncology, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, etc.
- Relationships: Related specialties and common procedures
Usage Frequency Facets
- Purpose: Filter by how commonly concepts are used
- Use Cases: Find popular terms, discover rare conditions
- Values: Very High, High, Medium, Low, Rare
- Metrics: Search volume, clinical usage, documentation frequency
Standard Concept Facets
- Purpose: Filter by OMOP standard concept status
- Use Cases: Find standard concepts for analytics, non-standard for mapping
- Values: Standard (S), Non-standard (N), Classification (C)
- Usage: Critical for OMOP CDM implementations
Date Range Facets
- Purpose: Filter by concept validity or update dates
- Use Cases: Find recently updated concepts, historical analysis
- Values: Current year, Last 5 years, Historical, etc.
- Context: Version tracking and temporal analysis
Language Facets
- Purpose: Filter by language availability
- Use Cases: Multi-lingual implementations, translation coverage
- Values: English, Spanish, French, German, etc.
- Quality: Translation quality and coverage metrics
Facet Depth Levels
Minimal
- Content: Basic facet values with counts
- Performance: Fastest response time
- Use Case: Simple filtering interfaces
- Data: Value, count, basic display information
Standard
- Content: Facet values with metadata and descriptions
- Performance: Good response time
- Use Case: General search interfaces
- Data: Descriptions, percentages, basic relationships
Detailed
- Content: Extended metadata and hierarchical relationships
- Performance: Moderate response time
- Use Case: Advanced search and analysis
- Data: Hierarchies, correlations, trend information
Comprehensive
- Content: Complete facet information with all metadata
- Performance: Slower response time
- Use Case: Research and comprehensive analysis
- Data: All available metadata, relationships, and insights
User Context Customization
Physician Context
- Priority: Clinical relevance, diagnostic focus
- Emphasized Facets: Specialty, concept class, standard concepts
- Hidden Facets: Patient-facing terminology, administrative codes
- Sorting: Clinical relevance and frequency
Nurse Context
- Priority: Patient care, nursing procedures
- Emphasized Facets: Procedure domain, nursing specialties
- Hidden Facets: Highly technical research terms
- Sorting: Clinical usage and care relevance
Pharmacist Context
- Priority: Drug-related terminology, pharmaceutical focus
- Emphasized Facets: Drug domain, pharmaceutical vocabularies
- Hidden Facets: Surgical procedures, diagnostic imaging
- Sorting: Pharmaceutical relevance and usage
Researcher Context
- Priority: Comprehensive coverage, analytical focus
- Emphasized Facets: All vocabularies, comprehensive metadata
- Hidden Facets: None (comprehensive view)
- Sorting: Completeness and analytical value
Patient Context
- Priority: Patient-friendly terminology, educational value
- Emphasized Facets: Common conditions, patient-facing terms
- Hidden Facets: Technical medical jargon, administrative codes
- Sorting: Common usage and understandability
Student Context
- Priority: Educational value, learning focus
- Emphasized Facets: Concept classes, educational metadata
- Hidden Facets: Highly specialized professional terms
- Sorting: Educational relevance and frequency
Performance Optimization
Caching Strategies
- Query-Based Cache: Cache facets for common queries
- Context Cache: Cache facets for user contexts
- Vocabulary Cache: Cache vocabulary-specific facets
- Time-Based Cache: Cache with appropriate TTL
Computation Optimization
- Pre-computed Facets: Common facet combinations
- Incremental Updates: Update facets as data changes
- Parallel Processing: Generate facets in parallel
- Smart Filtering: Apply filters during facet generation
Response Optimization
- Selective Loading: Load only requested facet types
- Hierarchical Loading: Load parent facets first, children on demand
- Compression: Compress large facet responses
- Streaming: Stream large facet sets
Related Endpoints
- Basic Search - Apply facet filters to search
- Advanced Search - Complex search with multiple facets
- Search Concepts - Search with facet filtering
- List Domains - Detailed domain information