ABSTRACT
A major focus of research within the Rutgers Research Resource on Computers in Biomedicine is to investigate representations of expert knowledge and develop strategies of reasoning for consultation systems, with particular emphasis on medical consultation problems.
Past work includes the development of a causal-associational network (casnet) model for describing disease processes, and its application in an expert-level consultation program in glaucoma (casnet/Glaucoma), that incorporates the knowledge of a national network of clinical experts in the disease. Collaborative testing of the program has been extended to Japan, and a comparison of Japanese and American decision making rules is currently underway.
Present work involves the formulation of a new representational scheme, called EXPERT, and its application in building models for reasoning in rheumatology and endocrinology, Experience to date with consultation programs based on the EXPERT models has shown that both the acquisition and the structuring of medical knowledge are significantly facilitated by this method.
