Editing Medical algorithm (section)

==Examples==
A wealth of medical information exists in the form of published medical algorithms.  These algorithms range from simple [[calculation]]s to complex outcome [[prediction]]s.  Most [[clinician]]s use only a small subset routinely.

Examples of medical algorithms are:
* [[Calculators]], e.g. an on-line or stand-alone calculator for [[body mass index]] (BMI) when stature and body weight are given;
* [[Flowcharts]] and [[DRAKON|drakon-charts]], e.g. a binary [[decision tree]] for deciding what is the [[etiology]] of [[chest pain]]
* [[Look-up table]]s, e.g. for looking up [[food energy]] and nutritional contents of foodstuffs
* [[Nomogram]]s, e.g. a moving circular slide to calculate body surface area or drug dosages.

A common class of algorithms are embedded in guidelines on the choice of treatments produced by many national, state, financial and local healthcare organisations and provided as knowledge resources for day to day use and for induction of new physicians. A field which has gained particular attention is the choice of medications for psychiatric conditions. In the United Kingdom, guidelines or algorithms for this have been produced by most of the circa 500 primary care trusts, substantially all of the circa 100 secondary care psychiatric units and many of the circa 10 000 general practices. In the US, there is a national (federal) initiative to provide them for all states, and by 2005 six states were adapting the approach of the [[Texas Medication Algorithm Project]] or otherwise working on their production.

A grammar—the [[Arden syntax]]—exists for describing algorithms in terms of [[medical logic module]]s. An approach such as this should allow exchange of MLMs between doctors and establishments, and enrichment of the common stock of tools.