The User-Oriented Approach for Facet Extraction in Gynecology and Obstetrics Domain

Introduction: Although the concept of facet analysis has a long background in the classification and information retrieval systems, the use of facet analysis approach in the current information retrieval systems is associated with drawbacks. One of these drawbacks is the lack of proper attention to the user as the main stakeholder of the system. In this study, a method is presented for appropriate facet extraction in the modern information retrieval systems. Methods: In order to perceive the need of users and achieve the facets of gynecology and obstetrics, the contractual content analysis method was employed with a qualitative approach. First, the informational needs of the user group were identified after interviewing 14 specialists in the fields of midwifery and gynecology and obstetrics. Then, the informational needs were classified with the help of specialists in the subject area and a facet was attributed to each stage. An expert group consisting of eight subject-area specialists and eight specialists in knowledge and information science evaluated the efficiency of the facets extracted; this way, the agreement was evaluated based on the total agreement formula. Results: Based on the codes extracted from the interviews related to determining the information needs of stakeholders in the domains of gynecology and obstetrics, 23 facets were identified, 9 of which being identified as proper facets, including age groups, organ, therapeutics, diagnosis, disease, symptoms or finding, risk factor, complication, and prognosis by the experts through receiving a coefficient of agreement above 80%. Conclusion: Facet extraction of the information retrieval systems based on the user-oriented approach converts the facets from general to specialized states. In this case, the facets are different for the users of each specialized domain in the user interface; thus, the specialized user interfaces would be formed.