Using Item Response Theory for Explainable Machine Learning in Predicting Mortality in the Intensive Care Unit: Case-Based Approach

Abstract

This demonstration shows that using the IRT is a viable method for understanding the data that are provided to ML algorithms, independent of outcome measures, and highlights how well classifiers differentiate cases of varying difficulty. This method explains which features are indicative of healthy states and why. It enables end users to tailor the classifier that is appropriate to the difficulty level of the patient for personalized medicine.