SPIDER

Structured Platform-Independent Data Entry and Reporting

SPIDER uses platform-independent, public-domain technologies, such as the World Wide Web, to achieve structured entry of medical data. Applications include radiological reports and medical questionnaires.

Clinical observations in a computer-based patient record may be acquired as natural language or through structured data entry (SDE). SDE standardizes data collection, increases the certainty of data summaries, and facilitates integration with decision support systems. We are exploring the use of the World Wide Web (WWW) to achieve platform-independent structured entry of ultrasound reports and other medical data.

We have explored and developed techniques to:

• Generate platform-independent data-entry forms from a structured representation of reporting concepts
• Create reports from the entered information
• Build interfaces to relational and object-oriented databases
• Create platform-independent "self documenting" files for storage and retrieval

We have created the Data-entry and Report Markup Language (DRML), a platform-independent markup language for specifying the content and format of structured reporting applications. DRML is based on the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML), an international standard for document exchange.

Online Resources

Try a live demonstration of SPIDER:

• Renal transplant ultrasound report
• Lower extremity ultrasound report
• Invent your own report using DRML!

View the DRML Document Type Definition (DTD).

Explore an annotated bibliography on reporting systems.

Publications

1. Bell DS, Pattison-Gordon E, Greenes RA, Kahn CE Jr. A conceptual-graph framework for structured reporting in radiology: application in pelvic ultrasound and breast imaging. In: Boehme JM, Rowberg AH, Wolfman NT, ed. Computer Applications to Assist Radiology. Carlsbad, CA: Symposia Foundation, 1994: 261-264.
2. Kahn CE Jr, Wang K, Bell DS. Structured entry of radiology reports using World Wide Web technology. RadioGraphics 1996; 16:683-691.
3. Kahn CE Jr, Huynh PN. Knowledge representation for platform-independent structured reporting. Proceedings of the AMIA Annual Symposium 1996; 478-482.
4. Kahn CE Jr, Pfeifer KJ. Interactive creation of structured reporting applications. RSNA EJ 1997; 1: article 0028-96.
5. Kahn CE Jr. A generalized markup language for platform-independent structured reporting. Methods of Information in Medicine 1997; 36:163-171.
6. Kahn CE Jr. Self-documenting structured reports using open information standards. Medinfo 1998: 403-407.
7. Kahn CE Jr, de la Cruz N. Extensible Markup Language (XML) in health care: integration of structured reporting and decision support. Proceedings of the AMIA Annual Symposium 1998: 725-729.
8. Kahn CE Jr, de la Cruz NB. Extensible Markup Language (XML) in health care: integration of structured reporting and decision support. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association 1998 (Suppl.): 725-729.
9. Kahn CE Jr. Standard Generalized Markup Language for self-defining structured reports. International Journal of Medical Informatics 1999; 53:203-211.
10. Wang C, Kahn CE Jr. Potential use of the Extensible Markup Language for radiology results reporting: a tutorial. RadioGraphics 2000; 20:287-293.