Caleb Goodwin

• Introduction
• Vita
• Publications

CATEGORIES

• Research
• Publications
• Vita
• About Me

APPLICATION OF COGNITIVE THEORY TO IR

This research views the UML-S as a content addressable memory. The research applies theories of human cognition to information retrieval. Currently, the implications of applying ACT-R and the rational analysis of human memory to information retrieval are being explored.

EMERGENCY CARE IS A COMPLEX ADAPTIVE SYSTEM

This research views emergecy care as a complex adaptive system. The multi-agent simulation is being used to develop dashboard displays for the emergency department and to study resouce allocation strategies.

SEMANTIC WEB

Given a network of thousands of wired and wireless heterogeneous sensors, how can the sensors be discovered and dynamically utilized for applications that might not have been anticipated on initial deployment?

BIOMEDICAL DATA VISUALIZATION

The focus of this research was the development of an interactive defibrillation simulation known as DefibViz which utilizes data visualization techniques to allow for exploration of voltage gradients throughout the human torso.

DATA VISUALIZATION OUTREACH

The focus of this research was the interdisciplinary development of data visualization tools for pedagocial use and high-school outreach.

Complexity in Emergency Care

2008 - Present

The Emergency Room is a non-deterministic environment where decisions are made on an ad-hoc basis through opportunistic and collaborative planning. Modeling emergency care as a Complex Adaptive System avoids over simplification through reductionist linear decomposition of the system by emphasizing the non-linear interactions of clinicians that lead to self-organization and emergent behavior. This project seeks to develop a multi-agent simulation for in-silico testing of information interventions and work flow modifications. Additionally, the simulation is being used to drive the development of dashboard displays to support situational awareness.

The multi-agent simulation was developed using Repast Simphony ( http://repast.sourceforge.net/ ). Geographic information system (GIS) software was utilized to create the spatial topology of the trauma department. The primary agents in simulation are physician, electronic medical record (EMR), and patient. The patient profile is comprised of chief complaint, gender, age, and acuity. The top ten chief complaints were selected and represented according to the frequency. The treatment logic for each of the ten chief complaints were developed through physician interview. The electronic medical record is used by the physician agent to order labs, check on the status of orders, and for situational awareness. The physician agent behavior was developed through physician interview. The physician agent relies upon the EMR and spatial proximity for situational awareness. Utility theory is used for physician agent decision making and was developed through physician interview. Utility theory is applied here to determine what action to take at a point in time. For example, the physician agent has patients in memory that have orders in process as well as patients that have not been visited. In this example, utility theory would allow the physician agent to decide between treating one of the two categories of patients in memory or performing a situational awareness task to determine if a more urgent patient has arrived.

Preliminary Model

Below is the physical layout for the Memorial Hermann Level-One trauma center at Houston Texas.

Below is the GIS layout used in the simulation.

Below is a video of the preliminary simulation in action.

Complexity in Health Care Lecture

Electronic Medical Record Implementation Through the Lens of Complexity Science by Caleb Goodwin

This talk gives an overview of complexity science and how the theory can be applied to prevent EMR implementation failure.

Powerpoint and movie in zip

Powerpoint only

Relevant Publications

Poster Abstracts

J. Caleb Goodwin, Todd R. Johnson, PhD, Jiajie Zhang, PhD, Zhe Li, and Nnaemeka Okafor, MD Development of a Multi-Agent Simulation of a Level-One Trauma Center, AMIA 2010 Annual Research Conference.

Updated 2010