Heuristically resolving content items in an extensible content management system

A tangible computer-readable storage medium including computer program code which, when executed, implements a method of heuristic content resolution to resolve ambiguity or conflict among available context variants for a content-based clinical application, the method comprising:

• identifying a selected content item, the content item associated with a context input, the content item representing a parameterization of instructions to instruct a content-based application how to operate, the content item formulated according to one or more detailed clinical models, wherein the content item is to be created, stored, deployed, and retrieved independently of creation and deployment of the content-based clinical application consuming data based on the content item;
• identifying, automatically using a processor based on the context input, available context variants for the content item;
• rejecting, automatically using a processor, context variants conflicting with the context input of the content item;
• rejecting, automatically using a processor, context variants more specific than the context input of the content item;
• selecting a most specific remaining context variant for the content item based on the context input;
• and
• providing the selected context variant for the content-based clinical application.