Doctors have long been accustomed to relying on technical devices to support diagnostic decisions, but in the early days of applying artificial intelligence in the medical arena, some still remained hesitant about the use of complex computerized systems for decision support because, except in a very select number of cases, they lacked confidence in their reliability. They claimed that patients and diseases were so individual that a computer system was too crude an instrument to rely on, and many feared the legal consequences of a conflict of judgment.</ br></ br> The study in this book, originally published in 1994, aims to present a sober assessment of the then status quo in terms of success factors and market potential, and identifies the development work that needed to be done. The time was ripe to test these complex systems in a variety of real user environments and situations, also in terms of clinical outcomes, and the authors also urged the European Union to design a health telematics program for the future which would provide the testing opportunities needed.</ br></ br> The book will make fascinating reading for all those involved in designing and implementing artificial intelligence systems in healthcare situations.
