A Practical Approach to Automated Diagnosis

A method is proposed in which the diagnostic evaluation of medical data is accomplished on the basis of a series of decision tables. The decision table is laid out consisting of rules, each specifying conditions which must be satisfied for a given diagnostic category. For example, a rule may read: ``If the QRS duration in any two limb leads is greater than or equal to 0.12 second, and if the PR interval in any two limb leads is greater than 0.12 second, and if intrinsicoid deflection onset in V1 or V2 is greater than or equal to 0.06 second, then right bundle branch block should be diagnosed.'' Decision tables can be very easily translated into FORTRAN language and used for the computer-aided evaluation of medical data.