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Encyclopedia of Database Systems pp 360–363Cite as

Clinical Ontologies

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Synonyms

Clinical terminologies; Clinical nomenclatures; Clinical classifications

Definition

An ontology is a formal representation of a set of heterogeneous concepts. However, in the life sciences, the term clinical ontology has also been more broadly defined as also comprising all forms of classified terminologies, including classifications and nomenclatures. Clinical ontologies provide not only a controlled vocabulary but also relationships among concepts allowing computer reasoning such that different parties, like physicians and insurers, can efficiently answer complex queries.

Historical Background

As the life sciences integrates increasingly sophisticated systems of patient management, different means of data representation have had to keep pace to support user systems. Simultaneously, the explosion of genetic information from breakthroughs from the Human Genome Project and gene chip technology have further expedited the need for robust, scalable platforms for handling...

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Recommended reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Yves A. Lussier & James L. Chen

Authors
  1. Yves A. Lussier
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  2. James L. Chen
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 266 Ferst Drive, 30332-0765, Atlanta, GA, USA

    LING LIU (Professor) (Professor)

  2. Database Research Group David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, N2L 3G1, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    M. TAMER ÖZSU (Professor and Director, University Research Chair) (Professor and Director, University Research Chair)

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© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Lussier, Y.A., Chen, J.L. (2009). Clinical Ontologies. In: LIU, L., ÖZSU, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-39940-9_62

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