Report 80-14 The Computer as Clinical Consultant

One relevant computer science subfield, termed "artificial intelligence" because of its emphasis on symbolic reasoning capabilities Our own is the MYCIN system, a program that received poor clinical acceptance. Despite diverse research assists with the selection of antimicrobial therapy for efforts, and a literature on computer-aided diagnosis that patients with infections.' Knowledge of bacteremia and has numbered at least 1,000 references in the last 20 years, meningitis has been acquired from infectious disease clinical consultation programs have seldom been used other experts and,..ncoded in decision "rules" and tables of than in experimental environments. This knowledge is, in turn, used by a program self-evident. Growth in medical knowledge has far that considers a specific case, interacting with the physician surpassed the ability of the single practitioner to master it requesting advice -and generating a therapeutic all, and the computer's superior information poacessing recommendation. By responding to specific questions capacity thereby offers a natural appeal.