12 Oct Technology May Help Physicians Improve the Art of Medical Diagnosis
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Ateev Mehrotra
Ateev Mehrotra, M.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Health Care Policy
Harvard Medical School
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Prior research has highlighted that physicians make diagnostic errors roughly 10 to 15 percent of the time. Over the last two decades, computer-based checklists and other “fail-safe” digital apps have been increasingly used to reduce medication errors or streamline infection-prevention protocols. Lately, experts have wondered whether computers might also help reduce diagnostic errors.
In the study, 234 internal medicine physicians were asked to evaluate 45 clinical cases, involving both common and uncommon conditions with varying degrees of severity. For each case, physicians had to identify the most likely diagnosis along with two additional possible diagnoses. Each clinical vignette was solved by at least 20 physicians. The same cases were also evaluated using 19 symptom checkers, websites or apps that use computers that help patients determine potential diagnoses for what is wrong based on their symptoms.
The physicians vastly outperformed the symptom-checker apps, listing the correct diagnosis 72 percent of the time, compared with 34 percent of the time for the digital platforms. Eighty-four percent of clinicians listed the correct diagnosis in the top three possibilities, compared with 51 percent for the digital symptom-checkers.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Despite outperforming the machines, physicians still made errors in about 15 percent of cases. In the future, it may be helpful to pair physicians and computers to help improve diagnoses.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: Clinical diagnosis is currently as much art as it is science, but there is great promise for technology to help augment clinical diagnoses. That is the true value proposition of these tools.
MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.
Citation:
Comparison of Physician and Computer Diagnostic Accuracy
Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.
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Last Updated on October 12, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD