EXPERT SYSTEM FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF CROHN'S & COLITIS AND LUPUS (case study of federal medical center jalingo)

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

A computer is digital electronic machine capable of accepting input data, processing and producing an output (information). The computer is an important tool that plays a good role in the analysis of any subject that is to be programmed. Though before a computer can be successfully programmed and utilized, it must be studied. Hence, “computer Science” which is the study of computer and its programming is mainly about the design and analysis, modeling and application of computer related system

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Computer Science has enabled the development of expert system which in turn improved human performance in their related field in life.

The development of experts system that capture skills and expertise of a human expert has not been easy and date back to the Second World War, where experts of computer tried relentlessly to develop technique or systems that would allow act more intelligently than human. But recently, experts system  have proven their value by aiding for example, medical professionals in diagnosing diseases and scheduling task as well mechanics in trouble shooting locomotive problems and configuring complex computer hardware.

Hence, this project harnesses the abilities of experts on system to develop an expert system on Crohn’s & Colitis and Lupus diagnostic system that will aid Federal Medical Center, Jalingo professional or personnel (e.g. Doctors, paramedics) in the diagnosis of Crohn’s & Colitis and Lupus and its associated symptoms and to its prescription.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

According to research, diagnosis in Federal Medical Center, Jalingo has been plague by several factors based on the current manual processes:

1.     File and record about patients are not properly kept.

2.     Drugs prescription is hardly ever done with the right age of the patient in mind.

3.     Error are easily made and hardly detected.

4.     Information is not well maintained.

1.3         OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

This work study will as much as possible try to achieve the objectives stated below.

i.          To help in the fight against Crohn’s & Colitis and Lupus mostly in Taraba State.

ii.        To appraise the contributions of an expert system in medicine.

iii.     To inform the medical practitioner that they can enjoy prolific alliance with computer systems.

iv.     A Flexible and relatively easily maintained systems.

v.        An improvement to quality by providing a consistent source of reliable expert guidance.

vi.     It reduces the amount of wastage in terms of time and human resource

vii.   The containment of medical diagnosis by substituting software systems for skilled people, to help in assistance.

1.4     SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of expert systems in the diagnosis of Crohn’s & Colitis and Lupus are too numerous to mention but a few has been listed out below;

i.       It takes a long time to train medical experts to know the symptoms of Crohn’s & Colitis and Lupus and be able to give out the right drugs but with the proposed new system, only what is needed is the skills of operating the new system which requires entering patients information and their symptoms into the system and in turn the system brings out the type of Crohn’s & Colitis and Lupus and the drugs to combat it.

ii.     Consistent solution: Computers do not suffer some of the weaknesses of humans, such as getting tired or ill and they are more easily access than human experts.

iii.  More time to evaluate decision result: Advice is obtained from the experts system quickly, leaving more time to weigh the possible result before action is taken.

iv.  Human expert development is a continuous exercise but an expert system is built only once and updated continuously with new technologies.

1.5     SCOPE OF THE STUDY

Expert system on Crohn’s & Colitis and Lupus diagnostic is a software designed to assist doctors and medical professional in Federal Medical Center, Jalingo to  diagnosis and prescription of different ailment as a result of Crohn’s & Colitis and Lupus.

This system will simulate expert reasoning, taking into consideration the clinical sign and test result. It generates accurate treatment, advice addressing and prescriptions to possible drugs.

1.6     DEFINITION OF TERMS

Diagnostic: This is concerned with diagnosis; used for furthering diagnosis or can be defined as characteristic or indicative of a disease.

A.I: Known as artificial intelligence in full and can be defined as the branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

Paramedics: A person trained to assist medical professionals and to give emergency medical treatment.

Crohn’s & Colitis: Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes inflammation of your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition. Inflammation caused by Crohn's disease can involve different areas of the digestive tract in different people.

Lupus: Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect almost any part of the body, most often the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood, or brain.

Hospital: A medical institution where sick or injured people are given medical or surgical care.

Medication: The act of treating with medicines or remedies

Physician: A licensed medical practitioner

Ailment: An often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining

Software: These written programs or procedures or rules and associated documentation pertaining to the operation of a computer system and that are stored in read/write memory.
PROJECT CODE: 00006

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