Biomedical subjects

H Heathfield

Publications and source records attributed to H Heathfield.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

A computer-based decision support system for diagnostic histopathology of the breast.

Accurate histological diagnosis of breast lesions is essential for the appropriate management of the patient. However, the technique of histological typing is problematic due to the large number of histological patterns, often of a complex and variable nature, which occur in breast disease. The introduction of the Breast Screening Programme has increased the burden on pathologists, and emphasised the need for training. Problems arise because mammographic screening detects a greater proportion of special histological types, with their attendant difficulties of identification, when compared to clinically palpable lesions. A computer-based decision support tool has been developed to assist pathologists in the histological diagnosis of breast disease. Unlike conventional expert systems, which seek to recreate the problem-solving processes of an expert, this system has been designed to act as an intelligent assistant to the pathologist. The system represents knowledge in the form of 'disease profiles', and utilises a novel inference model based upon the mathematical technique of hypergraphs. Initial trials with this system have demonstrated that a high level of diagnostic accuracy can be achieved.

Breast Diseases↗

PubMed1992

PEN&PAD (Geriatrics): a Collaborative Patient Record System for the shared care of the elderly.

The PEN&PAD (Geriatrics) project seeks to develop a Collaborative Patient Record System for the hospital based shared care of the elderly. The goal of the project is to produce a single, integrated information system which is both useful and usable by the different practitioner groups involved in geriatric care. A User Centred Design methodology is proposed which makes users and human issues central to the design and development process. Preliminary results indicate that the specification of a Minimum Basic Data Set as the basis of a shared record system is infeasible and undesirable. An architecture is presented which illustrates how the diversity between the different disciplines may be preserved in a Collaborative Patient Record System.

Geriatrics↗

PubMed1991

Object-oriented design and programming in medical decision support.

The concept of object-oriented design and programming has recently received a great deal of attention from the software engineering community. This paper highlights the realisable benefits of using the object-oriented approach in the design and development of clinical decision support systems. These systems seek to build a computational model of some problem domain and therefore tend to be exploratory in nature. Conventional procedural design techniques do not support either the process of model building or rapid prototyping. The central concepts of the object-oriented paradigm are introduced, namely encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism, and their use illustrated in a case study, taken from the domain of breast histopathology. In particular, the dual roles of inheritance in object-oriented programming are examined, i.e., inheritance as a conceptual modelling tool and inheritance as a code reuse mechanism. It is argued that the use of the former is not entirely intuitive and may be difficult to incorporate into the design process. However, inheritance as a means of optimising code reuse offers substantial technical benefits.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

Knowledge-based computer system to aid in the histopathological diagnosis of breast disease.

A knowledge-based computer system, designed to assist pathologists in the histological diagnosis of breast disease, is described. This system represents knowledge in the form of "disease profiles" and uses a novel inference model based on the mathematical technique of hypergraphs. Its design overcomes many of the limitations of existing expert system technologies when applied to breast disease. In particular, the system can quickly focus on a differential problem and thus reduce the amount of data necessary to reach a conclusion. The system was tested on two sets of samples, consisting of 14 retrospective cases and five hypothetical cases of breast disease. Its recommendations were judged "correct" by the evaluating pathologist in 15 cases. This study shows the feasibility of providing "decision support" in histopathology.

Breast↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A cooperative approach to decision support in the differential diagnosis of breast disease.

The problem of differential diagnosis in breast histopathology is described and areas in need of decision support identified. It is argued that the conventional role played by decision support systems, i.e. that of the 'autonomous problem-solver', is unacceptable in this domain and that support must be given to the actual cognitive functions of potential system users. Decision-making processes of pathologists are examined with particular reference to Rector's category of 'broad experts'. Pathologists possess a rich set of general diagnostic concepts for their domain, but their knowledge of detailed aspects of differential diagnosis may contain gaps and errors. A cooperative model of decision support, which utilizes the strengths and complements the weaknesses of pathologists' problem-solving skills, is described and the operation of this model within a functioning system illustrated.

Artificial Intelligence↗