The use of the UMLS knowledge sources for the design of a domain specific ontology: A practical experience in blood transfusion

Abstract

In highly evolved medical domains, decision support systems have to be easily modified by medical experts themselves. In the field of blood transfusion, the evolution of medical knowledge and governmental regulation impose a continuous adaptation of decision support systems. Explicit domain ontologies are then a prerequisite for the construction of such extensible systems. We have chosen to have our domain ontology representation based on the entities and relations present in the UMLS knowledge sources. In this paper we detail how, in using a specific browser, we have exploited, reused and extended UMLS entities and relations to design a domain specific ontology for blood transfusion.