Knowledge-based systems in laboratory medicine and pathology. A review and survey of the field.

Knowledge-based systems are computer systems designed to handle knowledge-intensive tasks, usually involving reasoning and inference. They are increasingly being applied to problems in laboratory medicine and pathology. In this article we provide a brief introduction to the basic concepts of knowledge-based systems, review some of their published applications, and report on an informal survey of specialists in laboratory medicine and pathology. The survey, sent to 102 individuals, indicated that 24% were involved in developing knowledge-based systems, with most systems at an early stage of development. Recent advances in knowledge-based systems research as well as survey responses suggest that this technology will have increasing value in laboratory medicine and pathology.