Gathering diagnostic statistics.

There is currently a dearth of numerical data on symptom occurrence for medical diseases. These data would be useful in many computer applications to medicine, particularly for computer-assisted diagnosis, computer-based clinical simulations, and computer-assisted instructions. These data might be obtained from (1) published review articles, (2) combined data bases already developed for previous automated diagnosis programs, (3) retrospective chart reviews, (4) computerized medical information systems, or (5) data supplied by expert committees. Each of these techniques has drawbacks, especially in providing data for multiple time cuts throughout the disease course, and in accounting for prior therapies, the interactions of symptoms, or the locality, sex, race, or environment of the patient. However, even a preliminary effort documenting the judgment of expert committee members would be a substantial contribution and would facilitate further progress in important areas of medical computing.