BIB-VERSION:: CS-TR-v2.0
          ID:: STAN//CS-TR-94-1529
       ENTRY:: October 31, 1994
ORGANIZATION:: Stanford University, Department of Computer Science
       TITLE:: A KNOWLEDGE-BASED METHOD FOR TEMPORAL ABSTRACTION OF CLINICAL
               DATA
        TYPE:: Thesis
        TYPE:: Technical Report
      AUTHOR:: Shahar, Yuval
        DATE:: October 1994
       PAGES:: 328
    ABSTRACT:: This dissertation describes a domain-independent method
               specific to the task of abstracting higher-level concepts
               from time-stamped data. The framework includes a model of
               time, parameters, events and contexts. I applied my framework
               to several domains of medicine. My goal is to create, from
               time-stamped patient data, interval-based temporal
               abstractions such as "severe anemia for 3 weeks in the
               context of administering AZT."

               The knowledge-based temporal-abstraction method decomposes
               the task of abstracting higher-level abstractions from input
               data into five subtasks. These subtasks are solved by five
               domain-independent temporal-abstraction mechanisms. The
               temporal-abstraction mechanisms depend on four
               domain-specific knowledge types.

               I implemented the knowledge-based temporal-abstraction method
               in the RESUME system. RESUME accepts input and returns output
               at all levels of abstraction; accepts input out of temporal
               order, modifying a view of the past or of the present, as
               necessary; generates context-sensitive, controlled output;
               and maintains several possible concurrent interpretations of
               the data.

               I evaluated RESUME in the domains of protocol-based care,
               monitoring of children's growth, and therapy of diabetes.

               A formal specification of a domain's temporal-abstraction
               knowledge supports acquisition, maintenance, reuse, and
               sharing of that knowledge.
       NOTES:: [Adminitrivia V1/Prg/19941031]
         END:: STAN//CS-TR-94-1529