Structuring medical information for computer-assisted decision support

Due to the time required for design and implementation, it is difficult for medical decision support systems to keep pace with the rapid developments in computer technology and rapid information growth. In this article, diverse data types which are found in medical records are analyzed in light of the impact of these advances, along with the effect that these changes have on computer-assisted decision making. A hybrid system, under development by our group over the last 15 years, is used to illustrate an approach which allows the incorporation of new types of information and new decision strategies with minimum changes to the design of the original system. A specific example for applications in cardiology is given