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Semantic constraints in a medical information system

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Advances in Databases (BNCOD 1993)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 696))

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Abstract

Classical constraint handling in data processing systems is concerned with ensuring the integrity of the database. Constraints are usually based on attribute values in a domain, or on syntactic (structural) relationships between the number of values under one attribute related to one under another. In the area of medical informatics, and probably in other application areas, the classical types of constraint are insufficient to ensure the integrity required. A knowledge representation formalism called Structured Meta Knowledge (SMK) is presented which describes conceptual medical terms and their occurrences in individual patient records. The prototype clinical workstation PEN&PAD which uses SMK is introduced. The requirements for constraints in medical informatics are matched against classical constraint types, the extensions defined and compared with those existing in SMK. A scheme for constraints in medical informatics is proposed, and future directions indicated.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical Informatics Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Manchester, M13 9PL, Manchester

    Carole A. Goble & Andrzej Glowinski

  2. Systems Engineering Division Informatics Department, Rutherfórd Appleton Laboratory, OXON OX11 0QX, Chilton, Didcot

    Keith G. Jeffery

Authors
  1. Carole A. Goble
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  2. Andrzej Glowinski
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  3. Keith G. Jeffery
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Editor information

Michael Frederick Worboys Anna Frances Grundy

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© 1993 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Goble, C.A., Glowinski, A., Jeffery, K.G. (1993). Semantic constraints in a medical information system. In: Worboys, M.F., Grundy, A.F. (eds) Advances in Databases. BNCOD 1993. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 696. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-56921-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-56921-9_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-56921-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47785-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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