MD CONCEPT - A MODEL FOR INTEGRATING MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE

Many integrated clinical information systems depend on large knowledge bases containing dictionary of terms as well as specific information about each term and the relationships between terms. We propose a know ledge base model called MD Concept which is based on a semantic networ k and uses an object-oriented paradigm and relational tables. A protot ype has been developed which integrates the Unified Medical Language S ystem (UMLS) with other databases including the Systematized Nomenclat ure of Medicine (SNOMED II), the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IIIR) and a pharmaceutical database. We demonstr ate how a user can easily navigate in this knowledge world using a bro wser.