Evaluation of a computerized review of patient physical symptoms

This paper presents an evaluation of a medical history, data collection technique which appears to have sufficient economic justification and medical impact to consider for use in private practice and medically underserved settings. The method, which collects physical symptoms organized by bodily systems, has been tested in various medical settings, and has been implemented on a low-cost microcomputer system. The results are presented in terms of health benefit, economic impact, and medical impact, using effectiveness, feasibility, credibility, and economics as evaluation criteria.