Retrieving and processing information from clinical algorithm via formal concept analysis

Abstract

Information technologies play an invaluable role in improving the quality of medical care. New diagnostic technologies based on processing large medical data sets are being actively introduced into clinical practice, which, in turn, generates the new arrays of data. The natural solution here is the clinical information systems (CIS) which help the physicians in clinical decision making as well as in training and research. In this paper we propose FCA approach for retrieving and processing information suitable for using in CIS, first of all in the aspect of knowledge, from clinical algorithm. FCA in proposed form represents the clinical process as a sequence of decisions being made by the physician during the diagnosis (or treatment) in order to reach the desired diagnostic (or respectively treatment) state. In order to analyze the effectiveness of these decisions in relation to a specific clinical process we propose the necessary indices and metrics. The application of the proposed formalisms is illustrated by the example of a real clinical process.