Evaluation of a Computer-Assisted Diagnosis Program for Acute Abdominal Pain with Physician-Collected Data

摘要

A computer program designed to aid the Independent Duty (8402) Corpsman in diagnosis and management of abdominal pain has been placed aboard submarines for Test and Evaluation. In July 1982 the Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory launched a five-year study aboard nuclear submarines of the computer-assisted diagnostic program for abdominal pain. Concurrently, a similar study with physician-collected data at the Emergency Room at the Naval Hospital, Groton, CT, was begun. A total of 90 cases of abdominal pain (male and female) was collected. Approximately 80% of these had a final diagnosis of non-specific abdominal pain. The program seems medically safe when this category is predicted with a high probability. Due to the limited number of cases collected, however, the program is not validated for this category or the other five categories of abdominal pain. Further data collection is anticipated and desirable. Over a five-year period sufficient data should be collected to permit at least a partial validation of both systems.