Development of an Experimental System "Computer-Aided Diagnosis in Neurotology (CADINO)" for Vertigo

Computer-based medical diagnosis expert systems, when used by clinicians, familiar with the limitations of the system, were found both accurate and educationally helpful. Vertigo is one of the most common complaints of the patients and the specialists who manage these patients are not easily available. Diagnostic expert system can help clinicians including general practitioners in providing reasonable diagnostic suggestions while dealing with patients with vertigo/dizziness when the specialist doctors are not available. To provide an understanding about the method of making an expert system "Computer-Aided Diagnosis in Neurotology (CADINO)" for dizzy patients and highlight its potential uses. CADINO, developed during this original research project, is an expert computer program which is capable of making diagnoses in patients with vertigo. CADINO includes more than 100 causes of vertigo. It was developed in Microsoft Office using hyperlinks. CADINO has the potential of making diagnoses in patients with vertigo. It differs from most other programs for computer-assisted diagnosis in the generality of its approach and knowledge base. Specific deficiencies of CADINO include its inability to explain its thinking. CADINO can broaden the clinicians' scope and awareness regarding the findings which are important for making the differential diagnoses in patients with vertigo/dizziness. Though the CADINO on its face value seems to improve patient safety and quality of care by enhancing knowledge and cognitive skills of the clinicians, yet it remains a research tool and will need clinical evaluation in terms of diagnostic accuracy.