Improving the Quality of Patient Care by Using a Clinical Expert System.
Improving the Quality of Patient Care by Using a Clinical Expert System.
Aim:

 To investigate the quality of history taking by physician and computer-based system.

 Patients:

 100 inpatients presenting at the RBK for the first time and treated in the departments of
 nephrology and cardiology.

 Methods:

 The information obtained by the computer based system is compared with the information
 acquired by conventional history taking. Study endpoint is the comparison of historical data
 organized according to the elements in a standard medical history on a patient-by-patient
 basis.

 Study procedure History taking is performed by physicians according to the guidelines of the
 RBK. Within 2 days thereafter the patient is interviewed with help of the CLEOS system with
 the support of a study nurse.
Aim:

 To compare the completeness of history taking by physicians and by a computerized system
 interacting directly with the patients. Historical data recorded in the patient record,
 including the discharge letter, were compared with the history acquired by computer-based
 interview of each patient.

 Patients:

 100 inpatients presenting at the RBK for the first time and treated in the departments of
 nephrology and cardiology.

 Methods:

 The information obtained by the computer based system is compared with the information
 acquired by conventional history taking. Study endpoint is the comparison of historical data
 organized according to the elements in a standard medical history on a patient-by-patient
 basis.

 Study procedure After informed consent of the patients the procedure of history taking is
 performed by the physician according to the guidelines of the RBK. Within 2 days thereafter
 the patient is interviewed with help of the CLEOS system [a computer-based, history-taking
 program] with the support of a study nurse. The physician will be informed about the results
 immediately after completion of the questionnaire.

 Data of medical significance were extracted from the official hospital chart and the
 computerized history by clinically experienced physicians and tabulated on a
 patient-by-patient basis. data elements were compared across each category of the history for
 each patient interviewed. The relevance of the differences of the information obtained by the
 two systems was rated by an independent reviewer.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  All inpatients in a hospital environment

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Inability to give an informed consent