Details of the Model

THIS IS OUTDATED. All documentation is now on the github wiki. Please refer there or to the CDM working group for more information

The CDM defines table structures in a person-centric way. At a minimum, the tables have a foreign key into the Person table and a date. This allows for a longitudinal view on all the healthcare-relevant events. The exceptions from this rule are the standardized health system data tables, which are linked directly to events of the various domains.

To represent the relevant domains, the CDM contains the following 39 tables:

Table nameDescription
Standardized Vocabularies
CONCEPTThe CONCEPT table contains records that uniquely identify each fundamental unit of meaning used to express clinical information. Concepts are derived from source vocabularies, which represent clinical information across different domains (e.g. conditions, drugs, procedures) through the use of source codes and associated descriptions. Some concepts are designated as standard concepts, meaning these concepts can be used within the OMOP Common Data Model and within standardized analytics. Each standard concept has a primary domain, which defines the location where the concept would be expected to be observed within OMOP Common Data Model.
VOCABULARYThe VOCABULARY table includes a list of the Vocabularies collected from various sources or created de-novo by the OMOP community. This reference table is populated with a single record for each vocabulary source and includes a descriptive name and other associated attributes for the vocabulary.
DOMAINThe DOMAIN table includes a list of OMOP-defined Domains the Concepts of the Standardized Vocabularies can belong to. A domain defines the set of allowable concepts for each standardized field. This reference table is populated with a single record for each domain and includes a descriptive name for the Domain.
CONCEPT_CLASSThe CONCEPT_CLASS table includes a list of the classifications used to differentiate concepts within a given vocabulary. Concept Classes are defined by the source Vocabulary, but might be slightly altered to fit OMOP CDM table constraints. This reference table is populated with a single record with a descriptive name for each Concept Class.
CONCEPT_RELATIONSHIPThe CONCEPT_RELATIONSHIP table contains records that define direct relationships between any two concepts and the nature of the relationship. The type of relationship is defined in the Relationship table.
RELATIONSHIPThe RELATIONSHIP table provides a reference list of all allowable types of relationships that can be used to associate any two concepts in the CONCEPT_RELATIONSHIP table.
CONCEPT_SYNONYMThe CONCEPT_SYNONYM table is used to store alternate names and descriptions for a concept.
CONCEPT_ANCESTORThe CONCEPT_ANCESTOR table contains records that define the inferred hierarchical relationships between all Standard Concepts. The concept ancestor table is fully derived from the CONCEPT, CONCEPT_RELATIONSHIP, and RELATIONSHIP tables and is designed to simplify observational analysis by providing the complete hierarchical relationships between Concepts.
SOURCE_TO_CONCEPT_MAPThe SOURCE_TO_CONCEPT_MAP table is a legacy data structure within the OMOP Common Data Model, recommended for use in extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes to maintain local source codes which are not available as concepts in the Standardized Vocabularies.
DRUG_STRENGTHThe DRUG_STRENGTH table contains structured content about the amount or concentration and associated units of a specific ingredient within a particular drug product. The drug strength table is a supplemental file to support standardized analysis of drug utilization.
COHORT_DEFINITIONThe COHORT_DEFINITION table contains records to define each derived Cohort through an associated description and syntax and can store operational programming code to instantiate the cohort within a OMOP common data model.
ATTRIBUTE_DEFINITIONThe ATTRIBUTE_DEFINITION table contains records to define each attribute through an associated description and syntax. Attributes are derived elements that can be selected or calculated for a subject within a cohort.
Standardized meta-data
CDM_SOURCEThe CDM_SOURCE table contains detail about the source database and the process used to transform the data into the OMOP common data model. If a source database is derived from multiple data feeds, the integration of those disparate sources is expected to be documented in the ETL specifications.
Standardized clinical data
PERSONThe PERSON table contains records that uniquely identify each patient in the source data who has time at-risk to have clinical events recorded within the source systems.
OBSERVATION_PERIODThe OBSERVATION_PERIOD table contains records which uniquely define the spans of time for which a Person is at-risk to have clinical events recorded within the source systems, even if no events in fact are recorded (healthy patient with no healthcare interactions).
SPECIMENThe SPECIMEN table contains the records identifying each biological sample from a person.
DEATHThe DEATH table contains the clinical event for how and when a Person dies. A person can have up to one record if the source system contains evidence about the Death.
VISIT_OCCURRENCEThe VISIT_OCCURRENCE table contains the spans of time a person continuously receives medical services from one or more providers at a facility in a given setting within the health care system. Visits are classified into 4 settings: outpatient care, inpatient confinement, emergency room, and long-term care. Persons may transition between these settings over the course of an episode of care.
PROCEDURE_OCCURRENCEThe PROCEDURE_OCCURRENCE table contains records of activities or processes ordered by, or carried out by, a healthcare provider on the patient to have a diagnostic or therapeutic purpose.
DRUG_EXPOSUREThe DRUG_EXPOSURE table captures records about the inferred utilization of a biochemical substance with a physiological therapeutic effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body. Drugs include prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vaccines, and large-molecule biologic therapies.
DEVICE_EXPOSUREThe device exposure domain captures information about a person’s exposure to a foreign physical object or instrument that which is used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes through a mechanism beyond chemical action. Devices include implantable objects (e.g. pacemakers, stents, artificial joints), durable medical equipment and supplies (e.g. bandages, crutches, syringes), and other instruments used in medical procedures (e.g. sutures, defibrillators).
CONDITION_OCCURRENCEConditions are records of a Person suggesting the presence of a disease or medical condition stated as a diagnosis, a sign or a symptom, which is either observed by a Provider or reported by the patient.
MEASUREMENTThe MEASUREMENT table contains records of Measurement, i.e. structured values (numerical or categorical) obtained through systematic and standardized examination or testing of a Person or Person's sample. The MEASUREMENT table contains both orders and results of such Measurements as laboratory tests, vital signs, quantitative findings from pathology reports, etc
NOTEThe NOTE table captures unstructured information that was recorded by a provider or a patient in free text notes on a given date.
OBSERVATIONThe OBSERVATION table captures clinical facts about a Person obtained in the context of examination, questioning or a procedure. Any data that cannot be represented by any other domains, such as social and lifestyle facts, medical history, family history, etc. are recorded here.
FACT_RELATIONSHIPThe FACT_RELATIONSHIP table contains records about the relationships between facts stored as records in any table of the CDM. Relationships can be defined between facts from the same domain (table), or different domains. Examples of Fact Relationships include: Person relationships (parent-child), care site relationships (hierarchical organizational structure of facilities within a health system), indication relationship (between drug exposures and associated conditions), usage relationships (of devices during the course of an associated procedure), or facts derived from one another (measurements derived from an associated specimen).
Standardized health system data
LOCATION
CARE_SITEThe CARE_SITE table contains a list of uniquely identified institutional (physical or organizational) units where healthcare delivery is practiced (offices, wards, hospitals, clinics, etc.).
PROVIDERThe PROVIDER table contains a list of uniquely identified health care providers. These are individuals providing hands-on healthcare to patients, such as physicians, nurses, midwives, physical therapists etc.
Standardized health economics
PAYER_PLAN_PERIODThe PAYER_PLAN_PERIOD table captures the unique combination of the period of time that a Person is continuously enrolled under a specific health Plan benefit structure from a given Payer as well as covered family members.
VISIT_COSTThe VISIT_COST table captures the costs of health visit of a patient which are not itemized to specific procedures, drugs, or devices used within the Visit.
PROCEDURE_COSTThe PROCEDURE_COST table captures the cost of a Procedure performed on a Person. The information about the cost is only derived from the amount of money paid for the Procedure.
DRUG_COSTThe DRUG_COST table captures records indicating the cost of a Drug Exposure. The information about the cost is defined by the amount of money paid by the person and payer for the drug, as well as the charged cost of the drug.
DEVICE_COSTThe DEVICE_COST table captures the cost of a medical device or supply used on a Person. The information about the cost is only derived from the amount of money paid for the device.
Standardized derived elements
COHORTThe COHORT table contains records derived as a set of subjects that satisfy a given set of inclusion criteria for a duration of time COHORT_DEFINITION table. Cohorts can be constructed of patients (Persons), Providers or Visits.
COHORT_ATTRIBUTEThe COHORT_ATTRIBUTE table contains attributes associated with each subject within a cohort, as defined by a given set of criteria for a duration of time. The definition of the Cohort Attribute is contained in the ATTRIBUTE_DEFINITION table.
DRUG_ERAA Drug Era is defined as a span of time when the Person is assumed to be exposed to a particular active ingredient, i.e. successive periods of Drug Exposures combined under certain rules to produce continuous Drug Eras.
DOSE_ERAA Dose Era is defined as a span of time when the Person is assumed to be exposed to a constant dose of a specific active ingredient.
CONDITION_ERAA Condition Era is defined as a span of time when the Person is assumed to have a given condition.