Patient-Computer Dialogue: A Review^[1],^[2]

Abstract

Since the first study of communication between patient and computer was performed at the University of Wisconsin in 1965, programs for patient-computer dialogue have been developed, implemented, and studied in numerous settings in the United States and abroad, and the results have been encouraging. This review presents a brief history of patient-computer dialogue together with suggested guidelines for programs in the future.

Keywords

cybermedicine - patient-computer dialogue - computers - interviews - medical history taking - user-computer interface - self-care - patient power - patient satisfaction

 

¹ Supported in part by research funds from the Center for Clinical Computing.

² Portions of this manuscript were adapted from Cybermedicine: How Computing Empowers Doctors and Patients for Better Health Care (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997), with the permission of the publisher.

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