Medical Text Indexing
Joe ThomasUnit Supervisor
Index Section, NLM
NLM INDEXING
• NLM’s web-based indexing system– All indexing performed via NLM’s web-based
indexing, Data Creation and Maintenance System (DCMS)
– MEDLINE indexing• 30 NLM Staff• 70 contractors (most work off site)• Estimated 500,000 indexed articles this year
• Created at NLM for Indexing and database maintenance
• Available where ever there is Internet access
• Interacts with MeSH and PubMed• Allows for module integration, such as
Medical Text Indexing and Gene Indexing
DCMS
Indexing Initiative
• The objective of NLM’s Indexing Initiative is to investigate methods whereby automated indexing methods partially or completely substitute for current indexing practices
• http://ii.nlm.nih.gov/• http://www.lhncbc.nlm.nih.gov/• One product is Medical Text Indexing (MTI)
Medical Test Indexing (MTI)
• Under development at the Lister Hill Center• The MTI system consists of software for
applying alternative methods of discovering MeSH headings for citation titles and abstracts and then combining them into an ordered list of recommended indexing terms
Current MTI Testing Goals
• Indexer questionnaires1. Improve quality of automated indexing terms2. Overall indexer reaction to MTI
– Increased productivity?– Useful indexing too
– DCMS/MTI interface
DCMS article panel
DCMS main indexing panel
MTI indexing terms
Selected terms in MTI
Selected terms are validated
MTI
Indexing
Completed indexing record
First questionnaire - article level
First questionnaire - article level
Final MTI questionnaire