Guided Rule Creation System for Clinical Expert Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
The creation of expert rules for expert systems in the healthcare industry, particularly in infectious disease analysis, is time-consuming and requires collaboration among microbiologists, microspecialists, and software engineers, with challenges in syntax and logic errors, and a need for accommodating various standards.
Innovation Solution
A guided rule creation and editing system with a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to create and test text-based rule expressions, featuring a block manager for logical verification, a test scenario facility for data-driven validation, and indicators for logical correctness, enabling users to author and validate rules independently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional expert system rule creation process is used involving multiple specialists, then the rules can be highly accurate and reliable, but the process becomes extremely time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows microbiologists to independently create, validate, and deploy expert system rules without requiring microspecialists or software engineers. The automated validation system with syntax checking, logical verification, and test scenario execution enables non-experts to self-validate their rules, eliminating the need for extensive human collaboration while maintaining rule quality
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary validation actions automatically during rule creation. Syntax validation, logical verification, and test scenario execution are conducted before the rule is deployed, catching errors early in the process rather than during later review stages, thus reducing overall creation time while maintaining reliability
2Productivity
If microbiologists are given direct access to create rules without extensive training, then productivity increases, but syntax and logic errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary automated validation layer between the microbiologist's rule input and the expert system execution. This intermediary performs syntax validation, logical verification, and test scenario execution to catch errors that would otherwise require extensive microbiologist training to prevent
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides immediate feedback to microbiologists during rule creation through syntax error messages, logical verification results, and test scenario outcomes. This real-time feedback loop allows users to correct errors during the creation process rather than discovering them later, maintaining high precision without requiring expert-level training
3Reliability
If comprehensive rule validation and testing is performed, then rule reliability is improved, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The validation system is segmented into distinct modular components: syntax validation, logical verification, and test scenario execution. Each component handles a specific aspect of validation independently, making the overall complex validation process manageable and maintainable through clear separation of concerns
Data Source
AI summary
A rules system for creating rules to an expert system is provided, the rules system providing a user-friendly, guided process for creating such rules.