The Nursing Specialist Group

Medical software tools began to emerge during the 1980's, some became known as 'expert systems'. In contrast to conventional software which process data, expert systems process 'knowledge'. For this reason, expert systems are also called ‘Knowledge Based Systems' (KBS). The most well known medical example is MYCIN.' This expert system was developed at Stanford University in 1976 to aid physicians in diagnosing and treating patients with infectious blood diseases caused by bacteria in the blood and meningitis. These diseases can be fatal if not recognised and treated quickly. Many other medical expert systems have followed the success of MYCIN. Other medical examples will be outlined later in the paper.