SETU

Standards-based Entity Terminology Unification for ICD-11 TM2

SETU is an open-source project that provides a clean, standards-correct bridge (setu) between traditional medicine terminologies (Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani) and the ICD-11 Traditional Medicine Module 2 (TM2) published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The project focuses on accurate concept mapping, entity normalization, and long-term interoperability, using Foundation URIs as the source of truth while supporting ICD-11 tabulation codes where applicable.

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🎯 Problem Statement

Traditional medicine systems use rich, classical terminologies that often:

• Overlap across systems (Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani)
• Are inconsistently mapped to modern disease classifications
• Are incorrectly treated as symptoms instead of disease entities
• Are mapped using unstable identifiers (codes instead of concept URIs)

This leads to:

• Loss of semantic meaning
• Incorrect analytics and reporting
• Fragile integrations that break across ICD updates

SETU addresses this gap by aligning traditional medicine terms directly with ICD-11 Foundation concepts.

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🧠 Core Principles

SETU is built on the following principles:

1. Foundation URI First

   • Every concept is identified using its ICD-11 Foundation URI
   • Codes are treated as secondary, not primary identifiers

2. Entity ≠ Index Term

   • A clear distinction is maintained between:

     • Disease entities
     • Index terms
     • Synonyms
     • System-specific labels

3. System-Agnostic Core

   • Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani terms map to the same underlying ICD-11 entity when appropriate

4. Standards Compliance

   • Fully aligned with:

     • ICD-11 Foundation Component
     • ICD-11 TM2 linearization
     • WHO terminology governance practices

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🧩 What SETU Does

SETU provides:

• ✅ Mapping of traditional medicine terms → ICD-11 TM2 entities
• ✅ Identification of disease vs non-disease concepts
• ✅ Clear handling of index terms with Foundation URIs
• ✅ Stable identifiers for long-term use
• ✅ A clean data model suitable for APIs, registries, and analytics

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🗂️ Concept Model

At a high level, SETU works with the following layers:

Traditional Term
   ├── System (Ayurveda / Siddha / Unani)
   ├── Term Type (Disease | Index Term | Synonym)
   └── → ICD-11 Foundation Entity
             ├── Foundation URI (mandatory)
             ├── TM2 Code (optional)
             └── Preferred Label

Important Rule

If a concept has a Foundation URI, it exists in ICD-11. If it has a tabulation code, it is classifiable. Both are not the same thing.

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📌 Example

Traditional Term	System	ICD-11 Entity	Foundation URI	TM2 Code
śiraḥśūla	Ayurveda	Cephalalgia disorder (TM2)	✔️	SK00
Ṣudā‘ Ḍu‘f Dimāghī	Unani	Headache due to weakness of brain disorder	✔️	—

This distinction is central to SETU’s design.

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🏗️ Project Scope

Included

• ICD-11 TM2 concepts
• Foundation URIs
• Disease and disorder entities
• System-specific terminology alignment

Not Included (by design)

• Clinical decision making
• Treatment recommendations
• Dosage or therapeutic guidance
• Non-TM2 ICD linearizations (for now)

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🧪 Intended Use Cases

SETU is suitable for:

• Government or AYUSH registries
• Academic research projects
• Terminology services
• Health informatics platforms
• ICD-11 compliant APIs
• Data harmonization pipelines

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📁 Repository Structure (suggested)

setu/
├── data/
│   ├── ayurveda/
│   ├── siddha/
│   └── unani/
├── mappings/
│   └── tm2/
├── schemas/
│   └── entity-model.json
├── docs/
│   ├── mapping-guidelines.md
│   └── terminology-rules.md
└── README.md

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome, especially in the areas of:

• New term mappings
• Validation of existing mappings
• Documentation improvements
• Tooling around ICD-11 APIs

Contribution Guidelines

• All mappings must reference a valid Foundation URI
• Do not assign ICD codes unless verified in TM2
• Clearly distinguish index terms from disease entities
• Cite authoritative sources where applicable

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📜 License

This project is released under an open-source license (to be specified, e.g. Apache-2.0 or MIT). WHO ICD-11 content remains subject to WHO licensing terms.

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⚠️ Disclaimer

SETU is a terminology and standards alignment project. It is not a medical diagnostic tool and must not be used as a substitute for professional medical judgment.

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✨ Vision

SETU aims to become a reliable, reference-grade bridge between traditional medical knowledge systems and modern global health standards — without diluting either.