Arden Syntax:Fuzzy Arden Syntax

Introduction

The principal change of version 2.9 is the introduction of support for fuzzy logic. Fuzzy logic is a multi-valued logic that has gained use in formal decision-making because of its value in representing reasoning involving imprecision. Unlike the typical binary (true-false) logic that continues to be supported in this version of the Arden Syntax, fuzzy logic incorporates degrees of truth or set membership (Steimann F. On the use and usefulness of fuzzy sets in medical AI . Artif Intell Med 2001;21:131-7). Clinical practice guidelines and other forms of clinical knowledge representation may employ fuzzy logic, using linguistic variables such as "severe" and "somewhat" without necessarily formally defining them or providing an objective quantification. These changes in the Arden Syntax allow fuzzy logic to be formally represented, thus supporting the representation of clinical guidelines and clinical reasoning generally.