Metaphors of movement: a visualization and user interface for time-oriented, skeletal plans

Therapy planning plays an increasingly important role in the everyday work of physicians. Clinical protocols or guidelines are typically represented using flow-charts, decision tables, or plain text. These representations are badly suited, however, for complex medical procedures. One representation method that overcomes these problems is the language Asbru. But because Asbru has a LISP-like syntax (and also incorporates many concepts from computer science), it is not suitable for physicians. Therefore, we developed a visualization and user interface to deal with treatment plans expressed in Asbru. We use graphical metaphors to make the underlying concepts easier to grasp. employ glyphs to communicate complex temporal information and colors to make it possible to understand the connection between the two views (Topological View and Temporal View) available in the system. In this paper, we present the design ideas behind AsbruView, and discuss its usefulness based on the results of a usability study we performed with six physicians. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.