The Application Of A Pattern Matching Algorithm to Searching Medical Record Text

The purpse of this paper is to demonstrate the basic feasibility of using pattern matching techniques to search raw narrative medical record text. We have developed a scheme for executing such a search and produced computer codes to implement this scheme at a simple level. Our ideas have teen tested by putting the computer to the task of searching actual medical records. All results are preliminary but they suggest feasibility. We briefly explore how our ideas might ultimately be incorporated into a database environment.