Methods Inf Med 1991; 30(02): 90-95
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1634827
Decision Support and Expert Systems
Schattauer GmbH

Problem Area Formation as an Element of Computer Aided Diagnosis: A Comparison of Two Strategies Within Quick Medical Reference (QMR)[*]

L. Berman
1   Section of Medical Informatics, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
,
R. A. Miller
1   Section of Medical Informatics, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
› Author Affiliations
The authors wish to thank Janine E. Janosky, Ph. D., for her valuable help with the statistical analysis. Ou thanks also to Richard Bankowitz, Ma D. and Nunzia Guise, M. D., for then assistance with study conceptualization and design. Dr. Miller’s work has been supported by a National Library of Medicine Research Career Development Award K04-LM-00084. Dr. Fred E. Masarie, Jr. has co-developed the QMR program in association with Dr. Miller. The QMR Knowledge Base has been developed and maintained at the University of Pittsburgh by Drs. J. D. Myers, R. A. Miller and F. E. Masarie, Jr.
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
07 February 2018 (online)

Abstract

INTERNIST-I’s use of “partitioning” to group related diagnoses into problem areas (for competitive consideration and elimination during case analysis) is felt to be the source of many of its strengths as well as some of its weaknesses. QMR, INTERNIST-I’s successor program, embodies a homology function which can act as an alternative to the partitioner for problem area formation. This study undertakes a comparison of the problem areas generated by the INTERNIST-I partitioning algorithm, the QMR homology function, and expert clinicians; it finds the correlation to be poor. The authors then discuss another method of problem area formation which might better mimic a human clinician and provide an alternative approach in diagnostic computer-aided decision making.

* QMR and Quick Medical Reference arc Registered Trademarks of the University of Pittsburgh.


 
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