[Tagging] healthcare=sample_collection

Stefan Tauner stefan.tauner at gmx.at
Mon Jan 11 12:23:13 UTC 2021


On Mon, 11 Jan 2021 12:45:26 +0100 (CET)
Mateusz Konieczny via Tagging <tagging at openstreetmap.org> wrote:

> There are many places that collect samples of blood/urine/etc for medical purposes.
> 
> In many cases tagging such point as healthcare=laboratory is not a good idea as
> laboratory is somewhere else (or mapper is unable to check where laboratory exists)
> 
> Unlike healthcare=laboratory such points are typically accessible to public and
> mappable
> 
> I am not aware about any good tag for that - what about healthcare=sample_collection ?
> 
> With definition "places where samples of blood/urine/etc are collected (possibly also taken)
> for purpose of analyzing them. Useful when tagged on standalone locations, should not
> be added to places such as amenity=hospital. For donating blood see healthcare=blood_donation"

Another important point regarding distinction to other tags is:
Are medical images samples? 
I'd argue no since no physical parts of the patients remain on site
after they left. OTOH, after physical samples are processed the only
thing that remains of them is data as well. From the patient's PoV
there is not too much difference. They go to one location for an
examination and get some data and diagnosis later.

Therefore, one could combine this sample_collection and the currently
discussed medical_imaging/radiology tag to some sort of dedicated
examination/data sampling tag and differentiate them with subtags. I
don't advocate for that - just writing my thoughts out.
Does anybody see any advantages or applications for that?

-- 
Kind regards/Mit freundlichen Grüßen, Stefan Tauner



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