[Constructing an indexing template for ancient acupuncture medical cases based on knowledge element theory]

Area of Science:

• Traditional Chinese Medicine
• Medical Informatics
• Historical Medicine

Background:

• Ancient acupuncture medical cases hold significant historical and clinical value.
• Effective utilization of these cases is crucial for advancing acupuncture theory and practice.
• Existing methods may not fully capture the detailed knowledge within these texts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To construct a knowledge-based indexing template for ancient acupuncture medical cases.
• To facilitate fine-grained indexing and enhance the accessibility of historical acupuncture literature.
• To support the excavation and application of acupuncture theory.

Main Methods:

• Applied knowledge element theory and fine-grained indexing principles.
• Developed a hierarchical template with specific categories and data points.
• Defined semantic types and relationships to structure case information.

Main Results:

• The developed template includes two levels, 7 categories, 28 knowledge element data, 31 semantic types, and 15 semantic relationships.
• This structure effectively represents the interconnections of knowledge within ancient acupuncture cases.
• The template provides a foundation for detailed indexing of medical case literature.

Conclusions:

• The proposed indexing template enhances the systematic organization and retrieval of information from ancient acupuncture medical cases.
• This structured approach aids in unlocking the full potential of historical acupuncture knowledge for contemporary research and clinical application.
• The template serves as a valuable tool for medical historians and acupuncturists alike.