RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Effectiveness of the Quick Medical Reference as a diagnostic tool
JF Canadian Medical Association Journal
JO CMAJ
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP 725
OP 728
VO 161
IS 6
A1 Jane B. Lemaire
A1 Jeffrey P. Schaefer
A1 Lee Ann Martin
A1 Peter Faris
A1 Martha D. Ainslie
A1 Russell D. Hull
YR 1999
UL http://www.cmaj.ca/content/161/6/725.abstract
AB A number of computer-based systems with diagnostic capabilities have been developed for internal medicine. Quick Medical Reference (QMR) is one such program. The authors describe key features of QMR and report on their study of its effectiveness as a diagnostic tool. They investigated how frequently the correct diagnosis would appear among the 5 highest ranked diagnoses generated by QMR. The charts of 1144 consecutive patients admitted to a teaching unit were retrospectively screened. Eligible cases included those referred for investigation of an undiagnosed illness with an objectively proven final diagnosis (n = 154). Two physicians familiar with, but not experts in, the use of QMR entered clinical information abstracted from the patients' charts into the program. Physician A obtained the correct diagnosis in 62 (40%) of the 154 cases, and physician B was successful in 56 (36%) of the cases. The authors use study cases to illustrate QMR's strengths and weaknesses.