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. 2015 Mar;22(2):330-9.
doi: 10.1136/amiajnl-2014-002955. Epub 2014 Oct 21.

Innovative information visualization of electronic health record data: a systematic review

Vivian L West  1 , David Borland  2 , W Ed Hammond  1
Affiliations

Innovative information visualization of electronic health record data: a systematic review

Vivian L West et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2015 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: This study investigates the use of visualization techniques reported between 1996 and 2013 and evaluates innovative approaches to information visualization of electronic health record (EHR) data for knowledge discovery.

Methods: An electronic literature search was conducted May-July 2013 using MEDLINE and Web of Knowledge, supplemented by citation searching, gray literature searching, and reference list reviews. General search terms were used to assure a comprehensive document search.

Results: Beginning with 891 articles, the number of articles was reduced by eliminating 191 duplicates. A matrix was developed for categorizing all abstracts and to assist with determining those to be excluded for review. Eighteen articles were included in the final analysis.

Discussion: Several visualization techniques have been extensively researched. The most mature system is LifeLines and its applications as LifeLines2, EventFlow, and LifeFlow. Initially, research focused on records from a single patient and visualization of the complex data related to one patient. Since 2010, the techniques under investigation are for use with large numbers of patient records and events. Most are linear and allow interaction through scaling and zooming to resize. Color, density, and filter techniques are commonly used for visualization.

Conclusions: With the burgeoning increase in the amount of electronic healthcare data, the potential for knowledge discovery is significant if data are managed in innovative and effective ways. We identify challenges discovered by previous EHR visualization research, which will help researchers who seek to design and improve visualization techniques.

Keywords: Electronic Health Records; Health care data; Information visualization; Systematic review.

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Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Translation: ‘Figurative chart of the successive losses in men by the French army in the Russian campaign 1812–1813. Drawn up by Mr. Minard, inspector-general of bridges and roads (retired). Paris, 20 November 1869. The number of men present is symbolized by the broadness of the colored zones at a rate of 1 mm for ten thousand men; furthermore, those numbers are written across the zones. The red [note: gray band here] signifies the men who entered Russia, the black those who got out of it. The data used to draw up this chart were found in the works of Messrs. Thiers, de Ségur, de Fezensac, de Chambray and the unpublished journal of Jacob, pharmacist of the French army since 28 October. To better represent the diminution of the army, I've pretended that the army corps of Prince Jerôme and of Marshall Davousz which were detached at Minsk and Mobilow and rejoined the main force at Orscha and Witebsk, had always marched together with the army.’ Public domain (U.S.) image via Wikimedia Commons. Available at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Minard.png. Accessed July 21, 2014.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Florence Nightingale's coxcomb chart representing causes of death each month between April 1854 and March 1856 during the Crimean War. The large outer gray bands represent deaths attributed to lack of sanitation in the wards, the lighter gray middle bands to death from wounds during the war, and the darkest inner bands to other causes. Public domain (U.S.) image via Wikimedia Commons. Available at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nightingale-mortality.jpg. Accessed July 21, 2014.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Flow of information through the different phases of systematic review. Adapted from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) group.
Figure 4:
Figure 4:
Number of publications included in review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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