Codifications of anaesthetic information for computer processing

In order for any decision-making process to be computer-assisted it is necessary for the information to be encodable in some way so that the computer can manipulate the data using logical operations. In this paper the information used to generate an anaesthetic regiment is examined. A method is presented for obtaining a suitable set of statements to describe the patient's history and surgical requirements. These statements are then sorted by an algorithm which uses standard Boolean operators to produce a protocol for six phases of anaesthetic procedure. An example is given of the system in operation. The system incorporate knowledge at the level of a consultant anaesthetist. The program used 428 statements to encode patient data, and drew upon a list of 163 possible prescriptions. The program ran on an LSI-11/2 computer using one disc drive. The scheme has direct application in training of junior anaesthetist, as well as producing guidelines to application in other areas of medicine where the possibility of a similar codification may exist.