Conformance Checking Based on Multi-Perspective Declarative Process Models

Process mining is a family of techniques that aim at analyzing business process execution data recorded in event logs. Conformance checking is a branch of this discipline embracing approaches for verifying whether the behavior of a process, as recorded in a log, is in line with some expected behaviors provided in the form of a process model. The majority of these approaches require the input process model to be procedural (e.g., a Petri net). However, in turbulent environments, characterized by high variability, the process behavior is less stable and predictable. In these environments, procedural process models are less suitable to describe a business process. Declarative specifications, working in an open world assumption, allow the modeler to express several possible execution paths as a compact set of constraints. Any process execution that does not contradict these constraints is allowed. One of the open challenges in the context of conformance checking with declarative models is the capability of supporting multi-perspective specifications. In this paper, we close this gap by providing a framework for conformance checking based on MP-Declare, a multi-perspective version of the declarative process modeling language Declare. The approach has been implemented in the process mining tool ProM and has been experimented in three real life case studies

Conformance checking and diagnosis for declarative business process models in data-aware scenarios

A business process (BP) consists of a set of activities which are performed in coordination in an organizational and technical environment and which jointly realize a business goal. In such context, BP management (BPM) can be seen as supporting BPs using methods, techniques, and software in order to design, enact, control, and analyze operational processes involving humans, organizations, applications, and other sources of information. Since the accurate management of BPs is receiving increasing attention, conformance checking, i.e., verifying whether the observed behavior matches a modelled behavior, is becoming more and more critical. Moreover, declarative languages are more frequently used to provide an increased flexibility. However, whereas there exist solid conformance checking techniques for imperative models, little work has been conducted for declarative models. Furthermore, only control-flow perspective is usually considered although other perspectives (e.g., data) are crucial. In addition, most approaches exclusively check the conformance without providing any related diagnostics. To enhance the accurate management of flexible BPs, this work presents a constraint-based approach for conformance checking over declarative BP models (including both control-flow and data perspectives). In addition, two constraint-based proposals for providing related diagnosis are detailed. To demonstrate both the effectiveness and the efficiency of the proposed approaches, the analysis of different performance measures related to a wide diversified set of test models of varying complexity has been performed.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TIN2009-1371

Process mining in healthcare : opportunities beyond the ordinary

Nowadays, in a Hospital Information System (HIS) huge amounts of data are stored about the care processes as they unfold. This data can be used for process mining. This way we can analyse the operational processes within a hospital based on facts rather than fiction. In order to enhance the uptake of process mining within the healthcare domain we present a healthcare reference model which exhaustively lists the typical types of data that exists within a HIS and that can be used for process mining. Based on this reference model, we elaborate on the most interesting kinds of process mining analyses that can be performed in order to illustrate the potential of process mining. As such, a basis is provided for governing and improving the processes within a hospital. Keywords: healthcare, process mining, reference mode

Process mining in healthcare : opportunities beyond the ordinary

Nowadays, in a Hospital Information System (HIS) huge amounts of data are stored about the care processes as they unfold. This data can be used for process mining. This way we can analyse the operational processes within a hospital based on facts rather than fiction. In order to enhance the uptake of process mining within the healthcare domain we present a healthcare reference model which exhaustively lists the typical types of data that exists within a HIS and that can be used for process mining. Based on this reference model, we elaborate on the most interesting kinds of process mining analyses that can be performed in order to illustrate the potential of process mining. As such, a basis is provided for governing and improving the processes within a hospital. Keywords: healthcare, process mining, reference mode

Clinical decision support: Knowledge representation and uncertainty management

Programa Doutoral em Engenharia BiomédicaDecision-making in clinical practice is faced with many challenges due to the inherent risks of being a health care professional. From medical error to undesired variations in clinical practice, the mitigation of these issues seems to be tightly connected to the adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines as evidence-based recommendations The deployment of Clinical Practice Guidelines in computational systems for clinical decision support has the potential to positively impact health care. However, current approaches to Computer-Interpretable Guidelines evidence a set of issues that leave them wanting. These issues are related with the lack of expressiveness of their underlying models, the complexity of knowledge acquisition with their tools, the absence of support to the clinical decision making process, and the style of communication of Clinical Decision Support Systems implementing Computer-Interpretable Guidelines. Such issues pose as obstacles that prevent these systems from showing properties like modularity, flexibility, adaptability, and interactivity. All these properties reflect the concept of living guidelines. The purpose of this doctoral thesis is, thus, to provide a framework that enables the expression of these properties. The modularity property is conferred by the ontological definition of Computer-Interpretable Guidelines and the assistance in guideline acquisition provided by an editing tool, allowing for the management of multiple knowledge patterns that can be reused. Flexibility is provided by the representation primitives defined in the ontology, meaning that the model is adjustable to guidelines from different categories and specialities. On to adaptability, this property is conferred by mechanisms of Speculative Computation, which allow the Decision Support System to not only reason with incomplete information but to adapt to changes of state, such as suddenly knowing the missing information. The solution proposed for interactivity consists in embedding Computer-Interpretable Guideline advice directly into the daily life of health care professionals and provide a set of reminders and notifications that help them to keep track of their tasks and responsibilities. All these solutions make the CompGuide framework for the expression of Clinical Decision Support Systems based on Computer-Interpretable Guidelines.A tomada de decisão na prática clínica enfrenta inúmeros desafios devido aos riscos inerentes a ser um profissional de saúde. Desde o erro medico até às variações indesejadas da prática clínica, a atenuação destes problemas parece estar intimamente ligada à adesão a Protocolos Clínicos, uma vez que estes são recomendações baseadas na evidencia. A operacionalização de Protocolos Clínicos em sistemas computacionais para apoio à decisão clínica apresenta o potencial de ter um impacto positivo nos cuidados de saúde. Contudo, as abordagens atuais a Protocolos Clínicos Interpretáveis por Maquinas evidenciam um conjunto de problemas que as deixa a desejar. Estes problemas estão relacionados com a falta de expressividade dos modelos que lhes estão subjacentes, a complexidade da aquisição de conhecimento utilizando as suas ferramentas, a ausência de suporte ao processo de decisão clínica e o estilo de comunicação dos Sistemas de Apoio à Decisão Clínica que implementam Protocolos Clínicos Interpretáveis por Maquinas. Tais problemas constituem obstáculos que impedem estes sistemas de apresentarem propriedades como modularidade, flexibilidade, adaptabilidade e interatividade. Todas estas propriedades refletem o conceito de living guidelines. O propósito desta tese de doutoramento é, portanto, o de fornecer uma estrutura que possibilite a expressão destas propriedades. A modularidade é conferida pela definição ontológica dos Protocolos Clínicos Interpretáveis por Maquinas e pela assistência na aquisição de protocolos fornecida por uma ferramenta de edição, permitindo assim a gestão de múltiplos padrões de conhecimento que podem ser reutilizados. A flexibilidade é atribuída pelas primitivas de representação definidas na ontologia, o que significa que o modelo é ajustável a protocolos de diferentes categorias e especialidades. Quanto à adaptabilidade, esta é conferida por mecanismos de Computação Especulativa que permitem ao Sistema de Apoio à Decisão não só raciocinar com informação incompleta, mas também adaptar-se a mudanças de estado, como subitamente tomar conhecimento da informação em falta. A solução proposta para a interatividade consiste em incorporar as recomendações dos Protocolos Clínicos Interpretáveis por Maquinas diretamente no dia a dia dos profissionais de saúde e fornecer um conjunto de lembretes e notificações que os auxiliam a rastrear as suas tarefas e responsabilidades. Todas estas soluções constituem a estrutura CompGuide para a expressão de Sistemas de Apoio à Decisão Clínica baseados em Protocolos Clínicos Interpretáveis por Máquinas.The work of the PhD candidate Tiago José Martins Oliveira is supported by a grant from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) with the reference SFRH/BD/85291/ 2012

Reusing a declarative specification to check the conformance of different CIGs

Several Computer Interpretable Guidelines (CIGs) languages have been proposed by the health community. Even though these CIG languages share common ideas each language has to be provided with his own mechanism of verification. In an earlier work we have shown that a DECLARE model can be used for checking the conformance of a PROforma CIG. In this paper, we show that the same model can also be used for checking the conformance of a similar CIG expressed in the GLIF language. Besides, as the GLIF model has been expressed in terms of a Coloured Petri Net (CPN), we also elaborate on the experiences obtained when applying the model checking techniques supported by CPN tools

Reusing a declarative specification to check the conformance of different CIGs

Several Computer Interpretable Guidelines (CIGs) languages have been proposed by the health community. Even though these CIG languages share common ideas each language has to be provided with his own mechanism of verification. In an earlier work we have shown that a DECLARE model can be used for checking the conformance of a PROforma CIG. In this paper, we show that the same model can also be used for checking the conformance of a similar CIG expressed in the GLIF language. Besides, as the GLIF model has been expressed in terms of a Coloured Petri Net (CPN), we also elaborate on the experiences obtained when applying the model checking techniques supported by CPN tools