The average encounter with a healthcare professional generates a large amount of clinical information - for example the diagnosis, treatment procedure and prescribed medication. The practitioner must choose from a huge number of ways and names to describe what they hear, see, prescribe or decide to do. When this information is sent to other practitioners – e.g. the pathologist, pharmacist, home nurse or specialist, each of whom may use different terms to describe the same thing – misunderstandings can occur.