Abstract
At New York University, computer programs have been developed that convert natural language medical records into a structured data base, i.e. into a table containing the same information as the stored documents. In this form specific information can be quickly retrieved, and summaries of the different kinds of information in the documents can be automatically generated. The automatic conversion of the information from its free-text form to a tabular form is called information formatting. This paper describes the application of the information formatting programs to a small set of pediatric discharge summaries for hospitalizations due to sickle cell disease. The programs created a table of approximately 50 columns in which each different type of information in the documents appeared under a separate heading. From this, a retrieval program extracted instances where symptoms of possible infection preceded symptoms of painful crisis, as suggested by the literature on sickle cell disease. In answer to more detailed queries the program checked the time-order of findings within one document. The potential use of such tables in continuing medical education and other applications in the hospital setting are discussed.