A Meta-model for the Guideline Definition Language

Computer-Interpretable Guidelines (CIGs) are a key issue to implement decision support systems that could help clinical practice. To represent these guidelines numerous modeling languages, such as PROforma, Asbru, or GLIF, have been defined and they are currently used in different contexts with more or less acceptance. The Guideline Definition Language (GDL) is a rule-based modeling language for CIGs proposed recently by the openEHR Foundation. This language might have a wider acceptance because of the fact that it is defined as an open standard and, as such, open detailed specifications are provided. In this paper, we focus on the most recent specification of GDL, GDL2. Our objective is to gain insight and knowledge about this language and its specifications for software engineering application purposes, such as Model-Driven solutions. In this context, we present a proposal for a GDL meta-model as an attempt to formalise the GDL2 specification in a UML meta-model. Additionally, in order to validate this proposal, we present a sample GDL model, based on a clinical guideline for the diagnosis of heart failure, developed using the GDL meta-model implemented in Eclipse.