Медициналық алгоритмдер: мақсаты, түрлері және қолданылуы

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 (e. g., if symptoms A, B, and C are evident, then use treatment X) and also less clear cut tools aimed at reducing or defining uncertainty. A medical prescription is also a type of medical algorithm.

Medical algorithms are part of a broader field which is usually fit under the aims of medical informatics and medical decision making. Medical decisions occur in several areas of medical activity including medical test selection, diagnosis, therapy and prognosis, and automatic control of medical equipment. In relation to logic based and artificial neural network based clinical decision support systems, which are also computer applications used in the medical decision making field, algorithms are less complex in architecture, data structure and user interface. Medical algorithms are not necessarily implemented using digital computers. In fact, many of them can be represented on paper, in the form of diagrams, nomographs, etc.

The intended purpose of medical algorithms is to improve and standardize decisions made in the delivery of medical care. Medical algorithms assist in standardizing selection and application of treatment regimens, with algorithm automation intended to reduce potential introduction of errors. Some attempt to predict the outcome, for example critical care scoring systems. Computerized health diagnostics algorithms can provide timely clinical decision support, improve adherence to evidence based guidelines, and be a resource for education and research. Medical algorithms based on best practice can assist everyone involved in delivery of standardized treatment via a wide range of clinical care providers. Many are presented as protocols and it is a key task in training to ensure people step outside the protocol when necessary. In our present state of knowledge, generating hints and producing guidelines may be less satisfying to the authors, but more appropriate.

In common with most science and medicine, algorithms whose contents are not wholly available for scrutiny and open to improvement should be regarded with suspicion. Computations obtained from medical algorithms should be compared with, and tempered by, clinical knowledge and physician judgment.