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