Medical Knowledge and Decision Support

We advance “Medical Knowledge and Decision Support” with data science and artificial intelligence, and qualitatively explore digital transformation in the clinic.

The overarching objectives of the research of the Medical Knowledge and Decision Support group are to implement innovative data science approaches, accelerate discovery, translation and integration of evidence into clinics, and to align technological progress with the needs of clinicians.

Methods

Our research draws methodologically from data science, bioinformatics, computer science, and psychology. We build ontologies and an associated ecosystem for logic-based automation. We apply and develop predictive models using AI/ML, particularly LLMs and neuro-symbolic approaches. We apply mathematical approaches including constraint-based modelling. In addition, we use qualitative approaches to study human perspectives.

Use cases

Use Cases

We address a wide range of application use cases across our projects, including the discovery and prediction of functions and regulatory factors, biomedical and clinical evidence synthesis and automation, pre-trained large language and multi-modal model evaluation, extraction of data from clinical notes for predictive modelling, decision support, medical question answering, and interpretability and explanations for AI applications.

Clinical Areas

Our projects span a range of biomedical and clinical domains, including fundamental metabolism and metabolomics; drug discovery and molecular property prediction; RNA biology and regulatory interactions; oncology and personalised cancer biology; behavioural science and health psychology; mental health including anxiety, depression and psychosis; ophthalmology; infectious diseases; and physiotherapy.


Contact and Collaboration

If you are interested in partnering with us, have an idea you’d like to discuss, or simply want to get in touch, we would love to hear from you! 

Please reach out via email to: janna.hastings@unisg.ch or janna.hastings@uzh.ch

School of Medicine
University of St.Gallen (HSG)
St. Jakob-Strasse 21
9000 St.Gallen, Switzerland

Institut for Implementation Science in Health Care (IfIS)
Universität Zürich
Universitätsstrasse 84
8006 Zürich, Switzerland

New Publication with Insights on the Experience of Health Care Professionals using Digital Tools

Our recent Qualitative Systematic Review on the Experience of Health Care Professionals using Digital Tools in Hospitals has been published at JMIR Hhuman Factors.

In an era of digital transformation in healthcare, we are aiming to explore the impact of digital tools in hospital settings, with a particular focus on the experiences of healthcare professionals. The results reveal a complex interplay between the use of digital tools, their experiences, and the outcomes. 

Here are some of the key takeaways:
Positive Experiences: Healthcare professionals using digital tools reported feeling confident, responsible, and satisfied. These tools empower them to provide better patient care and streamline workflows, contributing to overall job satisfaction.

Negative Experiences: On the flip side, clinicians occasionally felt frustrated, overwhelmed, and even frightened when dealing with digital tools. Identifying these pain points is essential for improving technology implementation.

Moderators: Factors like sufficient training and seamless workflow integration positively influenced the use of digital tools, while unfavorable social structures and inadequate training acted as negative moderators, which are vital for optimizing the user experience.

Outcomes: The use of digital tools was associated with positive outcomes such as improved patient care and increased workflow efficiency. However, negative outcomes included increased workload, safety risks, and concerns about information quality.

Future Directions: Tailoring interventions to address clinicians’ digital experiences can lead to a more positive and productive work environment.


To catch up on this, we have recently concluded an extensive and comprehensive research study, examining the work with digital tools of more than 50 healthcare professionals across Switzerland and are preparing to share our findings soon!