Method Inform Med
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Knowledge-based systems (KBS) have been proposed to solve a large variety of medical problems. A strategic issue for KBS development and maintenance are the efforts required for both knowledge engineers and domain experts. The proposed solution is building efficient knowledge acquisition (KA) tools. ⋯ Their design was facilitated by the development of a methodology for KBS construction. It views this process as comprising two activities: the tailoring of the epistemological model to the specific medical task to be executed and the subsequent translation of this model into a computational architecture so that the connections between computational structures and their knowledge level counterparts are maintained. The KA tools we developed are illustrated taking examples from the behavior of a KBS we are building for the management of children with acute myeloid leukemia.
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Even today, the diagnosis of acute abdominal pain represents a serious clinical problem. The medical knowledge in this field is characterized by uncertainty, imprecision and vagueness. This situation lends itself especially to be solved by the application of fuzzy logic. ⋯ The hybrid concept of the system enables the integration of rule-based, heuristic and case-based reasoning on the basis of imprecise information. The central idea of the integration is to use case-based reasoning for the management of special cases, and rule-based reasoning for the representation of normal cases. The heuristic principle is ideally suited for making uncertain, hypothetical inferences on the basis of fuzzy data and fuzzy relations.
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The administration rate of general anaesthetic drugs is at present guided by clinical experience, and indirect indicators such as haemodynamic parameters. In the presence of muscle relaxants most of the clinical signs of inadequate anaesthesia are lost and accidental awareness may occur. A number of monitoring modalities, primarily based on analysis of the electroencephalogram (EEG), have been proposed for measurement of the anaesthetic depth. ⋯ To facilitate this, it is essential to combine analysis of the spontaneous EEG with recording of evoked potentials, to assess both cortical and subcortical activity/events. None of the reviewed methods, however promising, can alone meet all of the requirements for intraoperative monitoring of cerebral function. We suggest that the future direction should be to integrate several modalities in a single device, to provide valuable new information, upon which to base clinical management decisions.
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Education in medical informatics in The Netherlands: a nationwide policy and the Erasmus curriculum.
The curricula of all Medical Faculties still bear the characteristics of an era in which the physician was not educated in managing medical information systems, using communication networks, and processing knowledge. In attempting to formulate the prerequisites for developing and adjusting future curricula, we discuss the evolution of medical information technology during the past 25 years and give examples to illustrate that, by extrapolating current trends, future developments in information technology, medicine and education can be predicted. A plea is made for a strong interaction between scientific developments in medical informatics and academic education. ⋯ Furthermore, a nationwide policy on medical informatics in The Netherlands, is discussed. Our treatise is concluded by presenting the outline of the curriculum in medical informatics at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam. Educational recommendations conclude the paper.
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Medical care and medical education can be supported more than in the past by using new tools and new premises for the effective linkage between bodies of knowledge and the use of that knowledge. The medical record can be converted from a source-oriented record to a problem-oriented record, enabling to trace not only what was done, but why it was done. ⋯ We now have knowledge-coupling tools that can be used directly with the patients at the time of problem solving. Patients are becoming active participants in this process, bringing about new roles for experts as well as expert systems.