Encoding a depression screening guideline using GLIF.

Computer-interpretable guidelines (CIGs) have been reported to increase clinicians' usage of guidelines and to improve patient outcomes. The Guideline Interchange Format (GLIF) represents a guideline as a flowchart of clinical decision and action steps. We encoded a depression screening guideline using GLIF to transform it into a CIG. After identifying all guideline steps from the text format guideline, a flowchart was drawn using the encoded steps in GLIF. The flowchart was validated by an experienced psychiatric nurse clinician.