PredicT-ML: a tool for automating machine learning model building with big clinical data

BACKGROUND: Predictive modeling is fundamental to transforming large clinical data sets, or “big clinical data,” into actionable knowledge for various healthcare applications. Machine learning is a major predictive modeling approach, but two barriers make its use in healthcare challenging. First, a machine learning tool user must choose an algorithm and assign one or more model parameters called hyper-parameters before model training. The algorithm and hyper-parameter values used typically impact model accuracy by over 40 %, but their selection requires many labor-intensive manual iterations that can be difficult even for computer scientists. Second, many clinical attributes are repeatedly recorded over time, requiring temporal aggregation before predictive modeling can be performed. Many labor-intensive manual iterations are required to identify a good pair of aggregation period and operator for each clinical attribute. Both barriers result in time and human resource bottlenecks, and preclude healthcare administrators and researchers from asking a series of what-if questions when probing opportunities to use predictive models to improve outcomes and reduce costs. METHODS: This paper describes our design of and vision for PredicT-ML (prediction tool using machine learning), a software system that aims to overcome these barriers and automate machine learning model building with big clinical data. RESULTS: The paper presents the detailed design of PredicT-ML. CONCLUSIONS: PredicT-ML will open the use of big clinical data to thousands of healthcare administrators and researchers and increase the ability to advance clinical research and improve healthcare.