AdaptHetero: Machine Learning Interpretation-Driven Subgroup Adaptation for EHR-Based Clinical Prediction

Machine learning interpretation (MLI) has primarily been leveraged to build clinician trust and uncover actionable insights in EHRs. However, the intrinsic complexity and heterogeneity of EHR data limit its effectiveness in guiding subgroup-specific modeling. We propose AdaptHetero, a novel MLI-driven framework that transforms interpretability insights into actionable guidance for tailoring model training and evaluation across subpopulations within individual hospital systems. Evaluated on three large-scale EHR datasets: GOSSIS-1-eICU, WiDS, and MIMIC-IV, AdaptHetero consistently identifies heterogeneous model behaviors in predicting ICU mortality, in-hospital death, and hidden hypoxemia. By integrating SHAP-based interpretation and unsupervised clustering, the framework enhances the identification of clinically meaningful subgroup-specific characteristics, leading to improved predictive performance and optimized clinical deployment.