A framework for a distributed, hybrid, multiple-ontology clinical-guideline library, and automated guideline-support tools

Yuval Shahar, Ohad Young, Erez Shalom, Maya Galperin, Alon Mayaffit, Robert Moskovitch, Alon Hessing

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

84 Scopus citations

Abstract

Clinical guidelines are a major tool in improving the quality of medical care. However, most guidelines are in free text, not in a formal, executable format, and are not easily accessible to clinicians at the point of care. We introduce a Web-based, modular, distributed architecture, the Digital Electronic Guideline Library (DeGeL), which facilitates gradual conversion of clinical guidelines from text to a formal representation in chosen target guideline ontology. The architecture supports guideline classification, semantic markup, context-sensitive search, browsing, run-time application, and retrospective quality assessment. The DeGeL hybrid meta-ontology includes elements common to all guideline ontologies, such as semantic classification and domain knowledge; it also includes four content-representation formats: free text, semi-structured text, semi-formal representation, and a formal representation. These formats support increasingly sophisticated computational tasks. The DeGeL tools for support of guideline-based care operate, at some level, on all guideline ontologies. We have demonstrated the feasibility of the architecture and the tools for several guideline ontologies, including Asbru and GEM.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)325-344
Number of pages20
JournalJournal of Biomedical Informatics
Volume37
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2004

Keywords

  • Clinical guidelines
  • Digital libraries
  • Knowledge representation
  • Markup
  • Ontologies

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health Informatics
  • Computer Science Applications

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A framework for a distributed, hybrid, multiple-ontology clinical-guideline library, and automated guideline-support tools'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this