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Using conceptual graphs for clinical guidelines representation and knowledge visualization

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Abstract

The intrinsic complexity of the medical domain requires the building of some tools to assist the clinician and improve the patient’s health care. Clinical practice guidelines and protocols (CGPs) are documents with the aim of guiding decisions and criteria in specific areas of healthcare and they have been represented using several languages, but these are difficult to understand without a formal background. This paper uses conceptual graph formalism to represent CGPs. The originality here is the use of a graph-based approach in which reasoning is based on graph-theory operations to support sound logical reasoning in a visual manner. It allows users to have a maximal understanding and control over each step of the knowledge reasoning process in the CGPs exploitation. The application example concentrates on a protocol for the management of adult patients with hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state in the Intensive Care Unit.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Production Engineering (LGP), EA 1905, ENIT-INPT University of Toulouse, 47 avenue d’Azereix, BP 1629, 65016, Tarbes Cedex, France

    Bernard Kamsu-Foguem

  2. Laboratory of Biomathematics, EA 3614, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biology, University of Lille - North of France, 3 rue du Professeur Laguesse, BP 83, 59006, Lille Cedex, France

    Germaine Tchuenté-Foguem

  3. MAT Laboratory, UMI 209, UMMISCO, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon

    Germaine Tchuenté-Foguem

  4. Center for Food and Taste sciences (CSGA) - UMR 6265 CNRS – UMR 1324 INRA - University of Burgundy, 9 E Boulevard Jeanne d’Arc, 21000, Dijon, France

    Clovis Foguem

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  1. Bernard Kamsu-Foguem
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Kamsu-Foguem, B., Tchuenté-Foguem, G. & Foguem, C. Using conceptual graphs for clinical guidelines representation and knowledge visualization. Inf Syst Front 16, 571–589 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-012-9360-2

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