Intelligent information management in medical systems

The making of intelligent decisions in any sphere of activity is dependent on the information which is accessible to the decision making process. Arguably one of the primary reasons why the application of AI and expert system techniques has not gained the widespread use and popularity which might have been expected, is that the techniques have been applied to incomplete and often badly structured information. The paper advocates a new approach which establishes the use of AI techniques within the framework of an intelligent information management environment. That, however, is not sufficient in itself, because one needs to take the one further step of realising that the expertise and intelligence which is going to apply to the information is itself part of that information. Further, the conclusions generated by the application of the expertise and intelligence extend that information and are not separate from it. The paper concludes that the effective use of AI in medical decision making will only be achieved with the full integration of information and intelligence