Perception and Sensation

Perception is a function that endows a person with the capacity to mentally represent internal and external stimuli detected by sensory organs. The realization of this function is the mental representation of the detected stimulus. The inputs to the perception function are typically the outputs of a sensory process. However, perception sometimes occurs in the absence of any sensory stimulus, for example, in hallucination.

Note: (see URU discussion)

The perception process is the process by which sensory outputs (signal generated by a real or imagined sensory stimulus) are transformed to produce both a mental representation and phenomenological experience of the stimulus.  At the physical level, the perception process is instantiated by the perception function - the set of anatomic structures, physiological processes, and rules governing physiological processes that initiate, perform, sustain, and terminate the conversion of sensory outputs to a perceptual experience (i.e., the perception function).  

sensation

1. the process or experience of perceiving through the senses. See sensory system.

2. an irreducible unit of experience produced by stimulation of a sensory receptor and the resultant activation of a specific brain center, producing basic awareness of a sound, odor, color, shape, or taste or of temperature, pressure, pain, muscular tension, position of the body, or change in the internal organs associated with such processes as hunger, thirst, nausea, and sexual excitement. Also called sense datum; sense impression; sensum.

perception

• Identify the major concept around which to organize a manageable project (scope of work)
• Complete the major concept table and iterative update as project progresses (CRG to finalize the definition for SNOMED once all research has been completed)

• Perform environmental scan to identify key stakeholder groups (e.g., professional societies, research initiatives, patient advocacy groups) most involved in identifying and defining core constructs/concepts in this domain (artifact: mabh-crg stakeholder group matrix)
  • Add major groups to stakeholder table above

• Perform environmental scan to identify existing terminologies (nomenclatures, nosologies, classification systems) and ontologies used by each stakeholder group (artifact: mabh-crg terminology matrix)
  • Perform analysis of concepts in UMLS (artifact: mabh-crg UMLS concept analysis)
  • Perform analysis of concepts in OBO Foundry (artifact: mabh-crg x)
  • Perform environmental scan to identify non-UMLS terminologies (artifact: mabh-crg x)

• Perform environmental scan to identify major scientific models of construct/concept
  • Document major theoretical models (limit scope to those supported by current scientific evidence) (artifact: theoretical model summary, nomological net graphic)

• Perform environment scan to identify relevant clinical variables captured during routine delivery of care
  • Identify the core constructs (SNOMED observable entities) and defining features of the construct  (SNOMED observable entities, SNOMED body structures, SNOMED qualifier values)
  • Identify major disorders, signs, and symptoms (SNOMED clinical findings) and associated features (SNOMED body structures, SNOMED qualifier values)

Note: potential sources of information include published clinical guidelines and quality measures

• Identify resources from whom documentation templates (notes, flowsheets) can be obtained

• Complete concept template spreadsheet (artifact: mabh-crg current state observable spreadsheet)
  • Observable entities
  • Clinical findings
  • Body structures
  • Qualifier values
• Create entity dot-diagrams (artifact: mabh-crg current state dot diagram)
  • Observable entities
  • Clinical findings
  • Body structures

• Perform concept gap analysis

• Identify any special use cases not addressed in the generic master use case documents