A Decision Support System For The Management Of Acute Abdominal Pain (user's Manual).

Abstract

The Abdominal Pain Diagnostic Program is designed to aid the Independent Duty Hospital Corpsman in diagnosing and treating male patients who present with the chief complaint of acute abdominal pain. The program considers only the five most common causes of acute abdominal pain requiring medical evacuation as well as a sixth category, non-specific abdominal pain. It has thirty-seven questions which the corpsman answers by circling the correct responses on a specially designed data sheet while examining the patient or soon after the examination. The answers are entered into an IBM-compatible microcomputer which computes the probability for each of the diseases. The case is then stored so that, when convenient, the corpsman can recall it and print the patient's SF-600. The program also contains treatment protocols for each of the diseases considered. The protocols are consistent with the materials and medication available aboard the submarine.