A Guideline Execution Engine is a computer program

Computer program

A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...

 which can interpret a clinical guideline

Guideline (medical)

A medical guideline is a document with the aim of guiding decisions and criteria regarding diagnosis, management, and treatment in specific areas of healthcare...

 represented in a computerized format and perform actions towards the user of an electronic medical record

Electronic medical record

An electronic medical record is a computerized medical record created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital or physician's office...

.

A Guideline Execution Engine needs to communicate with a host Clinical information system. vMR

VMR

VMR is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below:* Variance-to-mean ratio* Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Software* Vertical Market Reseller* Video Mixing Renderer, a DirectShow filter* Virtual Medical Record...

 is one possible interface which can be used.

The engine's main function is to manage instances of executed guidelines of individual patients.

Delivering the inferred engine recommendations or impacts to the host Clinical information system has to carefully respect current workflow of the clinicians (physicians, nurses, clerks, etc.)

Architecture of Guideline Execution Engine

The following modules are generally needed for any engine

• interface to Clinical Information System
• new guidelines loading module
• guideline interpreter module
• clinical events parser
• alert/recommendations dispatch

Guideline Interchange Format

The Guideline Interchange Format (GLIF) is computer representation format for clinical guidelines. Represented guidelines can be executed using a guideline execution engine.

The format has several versions as it has been improved. In 2003 GLIF3 was introduced.

See also

• Electronic medical record
  Electronic medical record
  An electronic medical record is a computerized medical record created in an organization that delivers care, such as a hospital or physician's office...
  
  
• Clinical practice guideline
• Medical algorithm
  Medical algorithm
  A medical algorithm is any computation, formula, statistical survey, nomogram, or look-up table, useful in healthcare. Medical algorithms include decision tree approaches to healthcare treatment and also less clear-cut tools aimed at reducing or defining uncertainty.-Scope:Medical algorithms are...
  
  
• Arden syntax
  Arden Syntax
  The Arden syntax is an artificial intelligence frame-based grammar for representing and processing medical conditions and recommendations as "Medical Logic Modules ", used in Medical algorithms....
  
  
• Healthcare workflow
  Healthcare workflow
  Workflow in healthcare is an important term for today's physicians. The workflow describes the full process of how the office and patient work with each other. From the moment the patient calls to setup and exam, to the billers working on the claims, this is all inclusive in a true workflow...
  
  
• Glif
• RetroGuide
  RetroGuide
  RetroGuide is a name of a research project in medical informatics focusing on using workflow technology in healthcare. In 2009, RetroGuide became a component in a larger project/system called HealthFlow...
  
  

External links

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