Mobile information retrieval in medicine: A semantic approach

Mobile information retrieval is a fast growing research field due to the ever increasing sophistication of mobile devices coupled with the increasing trend that information needs are being satisfied more and more from mobile devices, as opposed to desktop machines. The use of mobile devices for information retrieval is especially interesting for physicians working in hospitals as they have a high level of mobility during a typical shift. In this paper we show the feasibility of mobile retrieval of non-standardized text; this type of text, also known as free text, makes up a significant amount of textual data in medical records. We provide a short description of a proposed architecture and analyze the prospects of using current web technologies in combination with a smart semantic retrieval system to create an application for the mobile end-user. The result is a mobile, web-based retrieval solution with a native look and feel, for use in the medical domain.