CLINICAL DECISIONS BASED ON PFYSICIAN-COMPUTER INTERACTIONS, A SYMBOLIC REASONING APPROACH Edward H. Shortliffe Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, California 94305

A rule-based expert system is described which uses artificial intelligence techniques, and a model of the Interaction between physicians and human consultants, to attempt to satisfy the demands of a user community that Is often reluctant to experiment with computer technology. Experience to date has demonstrated that the program Is efficient, relatively easy to use, and reliable in the domain of bacteremia therapy selection. Future work will involve broadening and evaluating the program's expertise In other areas of infectious disease thPrapy. To that end rules regarding diagnosis and treatment of meningitis have been written and are currently under evaluation.