A Computer-assisted Diagnostic Decision System for Dyspepsia

Abstract

Dyspepsia is a common problem in the community and a frequent reason for attendance at a G.P.’s surgery. A proportion of patients are referred to hospital for further investigations, many of which prove to be negative. It has been argued that many of the inappropriate investigations could be avoided given more accurate or more confident diagnoses made when the patient first presents to a doctor (BMJ, 1978). Availability of simple diagnostic aids might help towards this general aim. However these aids take a considerable amount of time and work to develop, and require extensive evaluation before being acceptable for routine use.