Abstract
The ideal method of teaching medical diagnosis would be to have each medical student assigned to an expert diagnostician, the student observing and participating in the diagnostician's thought processes. After each decision the student could review and study the rules for diagnosing. Unfortunately, such a situation is impossible, not only because of the critical shortage of diagnosticians but because the rules for thought processes are not well-defined. This research is an attempt to provide a simulation of this type of environment and allow veterinary students and practicing veterinarians to obtain instruction and practice in making diagnoses in canine cardiology. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) is used to implement the system. This teaching system consists of two types of programs. The first is a set of CAI programs which are case studies and include the medical history of an animal through diagnosis and treatment. This system involves interaction between user and computer. It is designed to make additional information available when needed. If the concepts for diagnoses are not understood, two levels of assistance are available. The user can request consultation to obtain concise explanations of the concepts or he can enter a tutorial question-response section to assist him in understanding these concepts. ...
Thompson, La Verne Hinton (1974). Application of the computer to diagnosis in the area of canine cardiology. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -173300.