Designation:E2522−07(Reapproved2013)StandardGuideforQualityIndicatorsforHealthClassifications1ThisstandardisissuedunderthefixeddesignationE2522;thenumberimmediatelyfollowingthedesignationindicatestheyearoforiginaladoptionor,inthecaseofrevision,theyearoflastrevision.Anumberinparenthesesindicatestheyearoflastreapproval.Asuperscriptepsilon(´)indicatesaneditorialchangesincethelastrevisionorreapproval.1.Scope1.1Thisinternationalstandardisintendedtodocumentprincipalideaswhicharenecessaryandsufficienttoassignvaluetoaclassification.Thestandardwillserveasaguideforgovernments,fundingagencies,terminologydevelopers,ter-minologyintegrationorganizations,andthepurchasersandusersofclassificationsystemstowardimprovedterminologicaldevelopmentandrecognitionofvalueinaclassification.Itisapplicabletoallareasofhealthaboutwhichinformationiskeptorutilized.Appropriately,classificationsshouldbeevaluatedwithinthecontextoftheirstatedscopeandpurpose.Itisintendedtocomplementandutilizethosenotionsalreadyidentifiedbyothernationalandinternationalstandardsbodies.Thisstandardexplicitlyrefersonlytoclassifications.Thisinternationalstandardwillalsoprovideclassificationdevelop-ersandauthorswiththequalityguidelinesneededtoconstructuseful,maintainableclassifications.Thesetenetsdonotat-tempttospecifyalloftherichnesswhichcanbeincorporatedintoaclassification.However,thisstandarddoesspecifytheminimalrequirements,whichifnotadheredtowillassurethattheclassificationwillhavelimitedgeneralizabilityandwillbeverydifficultifnotimpossibletomaintain.Wehaveusedtheword“Shall”toindicatemandatoryrequirementsandtheword“Should”toindicatethoserequirementswhichwefeelaredesirablebutmaynotbewidelyachievableincurrentimple-mentations.Classifications,whichdonotcurrentlymeetthesecriteria,canbeincompliancewiththisstandardbyputtinginplacemechanismstomovetowardthesegoals.Thisstandardwillprovideclassificationdeveloperswithasturdystartingpointforthedevelopmentofusefulclassifications.Thisfoun-dationservesasthebasisfromwhichclassific...
