Automated medical decision making utilizing bayesian network knowledge domain modeling
First Claim
1. A method for providing automated medical decision-making comprising:
- listing differential diagnoses for each of a plurality of conditions;
listing the characteristics of each differential diagnosis;
establishing a Bayesian Network modeling knowledge pertaining to said conditions, said differential diagnoses, and said characteristics, wherein the presence or absence of at least some of said conditions affects conditional probabilities that a patient under study has at least some of said diagnoses;
generating questions to identify said presence or absence of said conditions;
presenting said patient under study with a subset of said questions for the purpose of generating responses, wherein said subset is selected dynamically by favoring questions which have a significant statistical impact on said conditional probabilities;
inputting said responses to said questions into said Bayesian Network; and
calculating a diagnosis for the patient under study utilizing said Bayesian Network.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a system and method of medical knowledge domain modeling and automated medical decision-making, such as for online, questionnaire-based medical triage. In the present invention, information such as conditions and characteristics related to a diagnosis or disposition level is modeled in a Bayesian Network. The Bayesian Network may comprise instantiable nodes, fault nodes, intermediary nodes, a utility node and a decision node. Using Bayesian inference, the conditional probability of any pair in the network may be determined in real-time. These conditional probabilities are modified upon the input of evidence, which is typically in the form of answers to a dynamic set of questions designed to identify a diagnosis or disposition level for the patient under evaluation.
244 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A method for providing automated medical decision-making comprising:
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listing differential diagnoses for each of a plurality of conditions;
listing the characteristics of each differential diagnosis;
establishing a Bayesian Network modeling knowledge pertaining to said conditions, said differential diagnoses, and said characteristics, wherein the presence or absence of at least some of said conditions affects conditional probabilities that a patient under study has at least some of said diagnoses;
generating questions to identify said presence or absence of said conditions;
presenting said patient under study with a subset of said questions for the purpose of generating responses, wherein said subset is selected dynamically by favoring questions which have a significant statistical impact on said conditional probabilities;
inputting said responses to said questions into said Bayesian Network; and
calculating a diagnosis for the patient under study utilizing said Bayesian Network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A computerized system for providing automated medical triage to a patient under study comprising:
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a server including processing means and memory means, said memory means comprising a Bayesian Network, wherein said Bayesian Network comprises a plurality of instantiable nodes, a plurality of fault nodes, a utility node and a decision node;
a remote computer accessible by a patient under study;
a network allowing access by said remote computer to said server;
a scoring mechanism to adjust said probabilities in said diagnosis node responsive to information input by said patient under study into said remote computer. - View Dependent Claims (15)
medical hardware in direct electrical communication with said remote computer, wherein said medical hardware provides additional information regarding said patient under study, said additional information being transmitted to said server via said network.
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16. A method for providing automated medical decision-making comprising:
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establishing a Bayesian Network comprising;
a plurality of instantiable nodes for entering evidence;
a plurality of fault nodes in communication with said instantiable nodes for providing results capable of being monitored;
a utility node for providing quantitative information to a decision node having states;
and said decision node, wherein said decision node calculates a utility value for each of said states;
obtaining evidence from a patient-under-study;
entering said evidence into selected ones of said instantiable nodes;
monitoring said fault nodes for,said results;
using said results in said utility node; and
outputting a result in said decision node based upon said quantitative information in said utility node. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification