Intelligent Data Analysis in Medicine

Extensive amounts of knowledge and data stored in medical databases require the development of specialized tools for storing and accessing of data, data analysis, and effective use of stored knowledge and data. This paper focuses on methods and tools for intelligent data analysis, aimed at narrowing the increasing gap between data gathering and data comprehension. The paper sketches the history of research that led to the development of current intelligent data analysis techniques, discusses the need for intelligent data analysis in medicine, and proposes a classification of intelligent data analysis methods. The scope of the paper covers temporal data abstraction methods and data mining methods. A selection of methods is presented and illustrated in medical problem domains. Presently data abstraction and data mining are attracting considerable research interest. However the two technologies, in spite of the fact that they share their central objective, namely the intelligent analysis of data, are progressing independently of each other. The paper indicates how the two technologies could be potentially integrated with substantial benefits, and concludes by expressing the wish that such a research direction will be explored.