A typology for modeling processes in clinical guidelines and protocols

Abstract

We analyzed the graphical representations that are used by various guideline-modeling methods to express process information embodied in clinical guidelines and protocols. From this analysis, we distilled four modeling formalisms and the processes they typically model: (1) flowcharts for capturing problem-solving processes, (2) disease-state maps that link decision points in managing patient problems over time, (3) plans that specify sequences of activities that contribute toward a goal, (4) workflow specifications that model care processes in an organization. We characterized the four approaches and showed that each captures some aspect of what a guideline may specify. We believe that a general guideline-modeling system must provide explicit representation for each type of process. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.