A review of Iliad and Quick Medical Reference for primary care providers. Two diagnostic computer programs
W. Sumner 2nd
Program in Medical Information Science, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH.
Two diagnostic computer programs, Iliad (Applied Informatics Inc, Salt Lake
City, Utah) and Quick Medical Reference (Camdat Corp, Pittsburgh, Pa), are
commercially available. Both describe a large subset of internal medicine
diseases. These programs, also called knowledge bases, have different
structures and diagnostic methods and emphasize somewhat different
experimental observations regarding problem solving and expert diagnostic
behavior. Quick Medical Reference has more diverse reference features and
emphasizes diagnostic competitors (diseases that explain similar features
in a case). Iliad has better developed teaching features and emphasizes a
probabilistic approach. The histories and methods of these programs place
various constraints on their diagnostic capabilities, especially from a
primary care perspective. Although neither program is currently likely to
fill the role of an expert diagnostic consultant for a family practitioner,
both have potential as unique reference and teaching tools in primary care.
