Expert system to support documentation and diagnosis of sonographic findings
| developed by |
clinical domains |
keywords |
| University of Würzburg, MedicoConsult GmbH and knowIT-Software GmbH, Germany |
Radiology, abdominal ultrasound examinations |
Diagnostic expert system, knowledge-based systems, WWW, decision support, continuing medical education |
| status |
access demonstrator |
| Undergone clinical evaluation in the Clinic for Internal Medicine II, DRK-Kliniken Berlin-Köpenick and in the Universitätsklinik Würzburg |
WWW-based demonstration of SonoConsult
 [NB: In German only]
Das Programm ist ein interaktives Programm zur Diagnostik in der Sonographie. Es ist eine Testversion und dient ausschließlich einer Evaluation durch berechtigte Ärzte. Eine Haftung für Programmfehler und Konsequenzen, die der Benutzer aus ihnen zieht, ist ausgeschlossen.
SonoConsult is an interactive knowledge-based system for report documentation and diagnosis in Sonography. The current test version is designed for evaluation
only by qualified physicians.
No liability can be accepted by the developers for any errors in the program
or for any consequences arising out of misuse of the program.
|
| summary |
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SonoConsult is a web-based knowledge-based system designed to provide support in
the doumentation and diagnosis of sonographic findings.
The system was built in Germany by the University of Würzburg, MedicoConsult GmbH and
knowIT-Software GmbH, who provided their d3Web diagnostic expert system technology
The system has undergone evaluation in two clinical centres in German
(see abstract below). Further information on the system is provided (in German) on the MedicoConsult website.
|
| references |
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Huettig M, Buscher G, Menzel T, Scheppach W, Puppe F, Buscher HP.
A diagnostic expert system for structured reports, quality assessment, and training of residents in sonography.
Med Klin (Munich). 2004 Mar 15;99(3):117-22.
[PubMed]
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"
BACKGROUND: The quality of medical reports on diagnostic procedures has a considerable impact on the quality of medical care. Handwritten or otherwise unstructured reports tend to be incomplete, whereas structured questionnaires are of limited flexibility and not considered case-adequate. Thus, medical reports of this kind may promote an incomplete and misleading documentation and, therefore, be problematic with respect to their reliability. METHODS: SonoConsult (SC), an expert system for structured and case-adequate documentation of sonographic findings with an additional diagnostic component, was evaluated with respect to user acceptance and suitability for enhancing the quality of reports and supporting sonographic beginners. The expectations and the attitudes of the users toward the program were evaluated by anonymous questionnaires. The documentation of findings and the diagnostic conclusions in 103 free text reports made by experienced examiners were evaluated by subjecting their information to a subsequent input into SC. Free text reports were checked for information that was asked by SC but not mentioned in the reports. In a series of 150 cases, the system diagnoses were blinded during input of findings into SC-questionnaires and the examiners' diagnostic conclusions were compared with the uncovered SC-diagnoses with respect to forgotten diagnoses. RESULTS: The structured and data-driven acquisition of information by the program was well accepted by the users. However, only a medium interest in the system-delivered diagnoses was noted. The program-generated reports were characterized by a more detailed description of the findings and a higher number of diagnoses in comparison to the unstructured reports before introduction of SC as the only documentation system. When unaware of the system diagnoses, information was entered into the questionnaires, and SC generated some diagnoses which were not mentioned by the examiners in their conclusions. The possibility to inspect the system diagnoses led to an enhancement of the number of diagnoses the examiners mentioned in their conclusions. By contrast, the examiners meant that the influence of the program on their conclusions was minimal or dispensable. Beginners in sonography acknowledged that the program led them to perform a complete examination in an adequate sequence. CONCLUSION: An expert system for the data-driven, case-adequate information acquisition of abdominal ultrasound examinations may enhance the quality of the reports and, potentially, of the examinations at the same time. In addition, it may help beginners to learn a structured problem- and finding-adequate examination sequence.
" |
|
| contact |
links |
Prof. Dr. H.-P. Buscher
DRK-Kliniken Köpenick
Salvador-Allende-Str. 2-9
12559 Berlin
E: h.buscher@drk-kliniken-koepenick.de
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|
| acknowledgements |
| |
Entry on OpenClinical: 20 April 2004
Last main update: 21 April 2004
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SonoConsult information [