Framemed, a prototypical medical knowledge base of unusual design

Carefully structured medical knowledge can be used for a variety of purposes, including medical records, drug and test ordering, and differential diagnosis. The Framemed system divides medical information into 26 domains and arranges the items in a hierarchical sequence. The knowledge in the system resides in descriptive, relational, and conditional records created by experts in the various domains, who must sign and date each record as it is developed and are entirely responsible for its contents. Formation of the hierarchies requires careful attention to concepts and yields a logical framework for a standardized terminology that is in the public domain.