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A system of concepts for the continuity of care A model conforming to ISO 13940:2026
  • One model, one language for joined-up care
  • Health matters
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Index
  1. Home
  2. Health matters

    The concepts describing how a person is: their health state, the clinical and social matters it comprises, and the health conditions identified within it.

  3. clinical need

    health need related to the body or mind

  • Health matters

    The concepts describing how a person is: their health state, the clinical and social matters it comprises, and the health conditions identified within it.

    • health state

      overall level of health of a subject of care

    • health matter

      circumstance contributing to the health state of a person

    • clinical care

      care activity concerned with physical or mental health needs

    • clinical matter

      health matter concerned with the body or mind

    • social matter

      health matter concerning how a subject of care lives in their social environment

    • health condition

      aspect of a health state

    • health issue

      health condition motivating care

    • social issue

      health issue that is a social matter

    • clinical issue

      health issue that is a clinical matter

    • health problem

      health issue considered by a care actor to be a problem

    • health thread

      defined association between health matters as determined by one or more care actors

    • health problem list

      health thread linking a set of health problems

    • potential health condition

      possible future or current health condition described by a care actor

    • observed condition

      health condition observed by a care actor

    • considered condition

      potential health condition considered by a care actor based on one or more observed conditions

    • professionally assessed condition

      observed condition assessed by a care professional

    • vulnerability

      health condition that is an exposure to the risk of harm

    • excluded condition

      considered condition that one or more care professionals have determined not to be consistent with the known observed conditions

    • working diagnosis

      professionally assessed condition that one or more care professionals have determined to be the most consistent with observed conditions

    • prognostic condition

      potential health condition representing the expected course of a health state as assessed by care professionals

    • resultant condition

      health condition representing an output health state

    • target condition

      potential health condition representing either intended outcomes or care goals

    • risk condition

      health condition representing a potential undesired future health state

    • social environment

      immediate physical and social setting in which a person lives and interacts

    • health need

      health matter causing a deficit in the current health state compared to aspects of a desired future health state

    • social need

      health need related to social determinants of health

    • clinical need

      health need related to the body or mind

clinical need

health need related to the body or mind

clinical need extends the class health need

Figure 1. Class Diagram
Class Diagram of clinical needGenerated diagram of focal class clinical need and related classes. health matter causing a deficit in the current health state compared to aspects of a desired future health statehealth need health need related to the body or mindclinical need
Related information
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© 2026 Oughtibridge Ltd. Except where noted, content is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. The concept-area overview and whole-model master diagrams are provided by NHS England under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

ISO 13940:2026 ("ContSys") is published by the International Organization for Standardization. This site presents a model conformant to the standard; it is not the text of the standard.