Medical software for diagnosing disease continues to develop

Diagnosing a patient correctly has always been a challenge for physicians in New York and elsewhere. Time pressure and conflicting opinions among specialists contribute to the chances of misdiagnosis. To help physicians grapple with the complexities of diagnosis decision making, medical researchers and software engineers have been working to develop software and artificial intelligence systems to supplement human efforts.

The goal of improving diagnostic accuracy through computer-assisted medicine, however, has proven difficult to accomplish. When Watson, an artificial intelligence built by IBM that gained fame for winning the quiz show Jeopardy, was presented with the challenges used by a medical diagnostic competition known as Doctor's Dilemma, the machine could not meet the performance of human physicians.

Even so, researchers continue to address the challenge. Another team at the Technical University of Denmark in Lyngby has created FindZebra. Testing of FindZebra and Watson have shown that both systems present the correct diagnosis within their top 10 results 60 percent of the time. One of the researchers expressed his confidence that computer-assisted diagnostic technology would achieve better results eventually. Improved computer tools in the future could help physicians reduce misdiagnoses and spare patients years of ineffective care.

In addition to the potential harm created by misdiagnoses, other sources of medical negligence include emergency room errors, unclean hospital facilities and substandard hospital care. A person injured or sickened because of tainted instruments or a physician who failed to provide care up to accepted standards could seek damages with a medical malpractice lawsuit. To build a case, an attorney could gather medical records and ask outside experts to provide testimony about negligent actions or conditions. Damages sought could include compensation for medical bills and lost income. If out-of-court negotiations do not produce a settlement, an attorney may be able to present the case at trial.