Electronic healthcare at the click of a mouse

Researchers in Romania have developed a web-based approach -- design for all (DFA) -- solution to the problem of personal health assessment that guides a user through a symptom-orientated process and their medical history in order to determine whether or not a health professional is required or whether a patient can manage their own treatment with appropriate, rest and over-the-counter medication.

Writing in the International Journal of Knowledge and Web Intelligence, Paulina Mitrea of the Technical University Cluj-Napoca, and colleagues, explain the development of their e-health system, which exploits what they refer to as a "highly sophisticated medical rules-engine."

The researchers explain that modern information and communications technology are revolutionising healthcare. "E-health promises to bring many advantages like increased efficiency, enhancing quality of care, empowerment of consumers and patients, encouragement of a new relationship between patient and health professional and extending the scope of healthcare beyond its conventional boundaries," the team explains. The benefits are improved well-being for patients and reduced costs to healthcare providers.

They point out that with current technology, a computer-based diagnosis is not likely to be adequate in many cases. However, a simplified advice system that can accurately assess symptoms and offer guidance as to whether professional healthcare is needed or not could be implemented with current technology. The team's web-based system evaluates symptoms according to 32 attributes each garnered from the patient via tailored questions. Symptoms can have a range of answers depending on the symptom type: fever, headache, other pain, breathlessness etc. The "matrix" of patient responses are then fed through an algorithm, the medical rules database in computer form, to determine a possible diagnosis and severity of the ailment presented.