Management of diabetic patient profiles using ontologies

ABSTRACT

In 2019 the International Diabetes Federation estimated that 12.8 million Mexicans had diabetes. The diabetes epidemic ranked second in causes of death in Mexico, a situation that was severely complicated during the second quarter of 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies carried out by the Ministry of Public Health showed that the comorbidity of diabetes with COVID-19 has become a risk factor for serious complications, increasing the mortality rate. For this reason, it is necessary to develop personalized information management systems to support medical decision-making considering the specific characteristics of patients in Mexico. Information management of the diabetic patient profile begins with the investigation and registration of the relevant clinical data, data used by the physician to make the diagnosis and determine a personalized treatment. This article reports the development and integration of an ontology model for the management of diabetic patient profiles, incorporating medical ontologies. The results of the evaluation show the feasibility of using this integrated ontology for the management of diabetic patient presenting comorbidities. Likewise, a consistent ontological model is achieved, which complies with extensibility and reusability quality characteristics. © 2020 Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. All rights reserved.