An Expert Knowledge Server with a General Vocabulary Interface

Utah Health Informatics
Salt lake City, UT

Utah Health Informatics (UHI), a small informatics company in Salt Lake City, UT, with co-funding from NIST's Advanced Technology Program (ATP), has developed a web-based knowledge server technology that integrates general medical knowledge with specific patient information, thus helping individuals answer the question "How does this information apply to me?" Funding from the ATP also helped UHI develop knowledge authoring tools that allow quick and cost-effective dissemination of consumer-oriented decision-making tools. The first prototypes have targeted nutrition and preventive medicine, given the significant contribution of these areas to morbidity, mortality, and cost. For instance, UHI's Vitamin and Mineral Advisor identifies deficiencies and recommends appropriate supplements based on diet and medical history. The growing popularity of natural health approaches (e.g. alternative medicine), the empowerment of the consumer to make decisions in these areas, and the development of the Internet are calling for education and decision-making tools to assist the public in making appropriate choices. Finally, the ATP award has given UHI tremendous credibility in the market place, which helped it to secure private funding to pursue commercialization of interactive information products based on this technology.

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Date created:February 1999
Last Update: April 24, 2003