PROTOCOL BUILDING TOOL FOR MEDICAL DECISION SUPPORT EXPERT SYSTEM

摘要

A computer-implemented interactive tool for creating or modifying decision rules of an expert system for real-time decision support, particularly for the medical field. The interactive tool enables users to incorporate or modify decision rules in the expert system without writing computer code. This tool provides adaptability of guidelines by a broad spectrum of facilities and allows modifications to meet established processes at a given facility. More particularly, one aspect of the invention includes a computer-implemented interactive tool for creating or modifying decision rules of an expert system for real-time decision support, wherein the expert system presents queries to a user and responds to inputs from the user based on rules in IF-THEN form, the tool comprising: (1) a selection function for selecting a rule type to add or modify; (2) a graphical user interface for defining an IF condition by: selecting an indicator from a pre-defined list of available indicators using graphical controls; selecting an operator from a pre-defined set of available operators using graphical controls; entering data values directly, or from displayed choices using graphical controls; (3) a graphical user interface for defining a THEN conclusion by selecting components of the THEN conclusion from a pre-defined list of available components using graphical controls; and (4) a rule-building function for building a rule of the selected type from the defined IF condition and THEN conclusion. The invention includes related methods and computer programs.