Towards Evidence-based Argumentation Graph for Clinical Decision Support

Abstract

Clinical decision-making is closely related with the activity of argumentation among alternative options. In recent years, theories and languages have been developed for argumentation and evidence-based decision support. However, a systematic study of argument representation using evidence in the medicine domain is missing. In this paper, an Evidence-based Argumentation Graph is proposed. A Clinical Argumentation scheme and a Patient Preference Argumentation scheme guide their construction. Arguments can be represented using clinical and patient preference evidence and semantically integrated in the graph. Clinical decision support is delivered to clinicians and patients together. The method is demonstrated using a case study of decision support for patients suspected with breast cancer.