Reference: Campbell, K. E. & Musen, M. A. Representation of Clinical Data Using SNOMED III and Conceptual Graphs. Washington, D.C., 1992.
Abstract: Existing schemes for coding clinical data are unable to represent clinical data that include modifiers and time references. This problem becomes particularly apparent when we wish to capture the data typically recorded by physicians in progress notes. We have created a tool, called IVORY, that does symbolic capture of clinical data while the physician generates a prose progress note. However, we are not able to represent the collected data using any of the coding schemes contained within the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS). We therfore are developing a coding scheme, called EBONY, which will expand the SNOMED III model to allow us to construct clinical phrases that include modifiers and time references. EBONY uses conceptual graphs to model these clinical phrases. The use of conceptual graphs will allow us to map these phrases onto a standard relational data model.