The extraction of useful information from the biomedical literature

Modem information technology provides the biomedical professional with powerful tools and processes for extracting useful information from large volumes of text. Presently, little use is made of the full capabilities of these tools to supplement research and teaching. This article gives an overview of these tools and processes, and shows the diversity of ways they can be applied to enhance the capabilities of biomedical professionals. The article defines information technology terms, presents the requirements for extracting high-quality information, describes some available techniques for extracting information, and summarizes myriad information-extract ion applications. While the biomedical researcher or teacher can gain substantial benefits by using effective information-extraction techniques, substantial time and effort and technical expertise are required to generate a credible high-quality product, that is, the information needed.