Preferred Term
This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.
A preferred term (PT) is the description that is deemed to be the most clinically appropriate way of expressing a concept in a clinical record. It represents a common word or phrase used by clinicians to name a concept in clinical practice or in the literature. It is the synonym that is preferred in a language or dialect.
The use of a description can vary between different languages, dialects and contexts. A description may be preferred in some dialects, acceptable in others, and may not be used in some dialects. A Language Reference Set is used to specify the descriptions that are preferred or acceptable in each language or dialect.
A concept may have two descriptions marked as PT, one for each language.
For example, 32849002 | Esophageal structure (body structure)| has
PT: Esophageal structure (US)
PT: Oesophageal structure (GB)
A PT for one concept may also be a synonym for another concept.
For example,
84162001 | Cold sensation quality (qualifier value)| has a preferred term of cold
82272006 | Common cold (disorder)| also has a synonym of cold
In both concepts, cold represents a common clinical phrase used to capture the meaning of the concept.
The PT is indicated by the acceptabilityId field, for a particular language or dialect.
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