# Person Naming Conventions

<mark style="color:$danger;">**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.**</mark>

## Patient vs Subject <a href="#patient-vs-subject" id="patient-vs-subject"></a>

The |Situation with explicit context (situation)| hierarchy is intended for concepts that explicitly include contextual information. Context can include whom the finding is about, or on whom a procedure is performed. These concepts can be used to represent different meanings, e.g., past history, family history, planned care, excluded diagnosis, etc.

In contrast, a concept in the Clinical Finding or Procedure hierarchy has a default [Intended Use](https://docs.snomed.org/education/snomed-ct-education-editorial-guide/readme/snomed-ct-introduction/intended-use) of the subject of the record. This context can be overridden by the information model.

* For example,
  * The concept |Asthma (disorder)| could be used in a family history field to represent a family history of asthma.

However, including the term *subject* or *patient* within a Clinical finding or Procedure concept prevents that concept’s context from being overridden by the information model.

* For example,
  * The concept |Patient immunocompromised (finding)| could not be used in a family history field to represent that a family member is immunocompromised.

Therefore, the use of *patient* and *subject* should be used only when necessary.

Descriptions should use the word *subject*, not *patient*, if required, as *subject* is broader than *patient*.

* For example,

```
420058008 | Provider of history other than subject (person)|
```

*Subject* refers to the subject of record, who may, in some circumstances, not be the patient.

Best practice is to create a contextless concept.

* Example - finding,
  * Patient unable to chew with denture (finding) - incorrect
    * Unable to chew with denture (finding) - correct
* Example - procedure,
  * Positioning subject in supine position (procedure) -incorrect
    * Positioning in supine position (procedure) - correct

## Caregiver vs Carer <a href="#caregiver-vs-carer" id="caregiver-vs-carer"></a>

Descriptions with *caregiver* should be as follows:

* An FSN should use *caregiver* as (one word).
* There should be a synonym using *carer*.

For example,

```
425578005 | Caregiver able to cope (finding)|
```

* Synonym: Carer able to cope

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