MODELING DIAGNOSTIC SKILLS IN THE DOMAIN OF SKELETAL DYSPLASIAS

The diagnostic model used in the medical expert system Skeletal Dyspla sias Diagnostician (SDD) is discussed. The model aims to capture the d iagnostic skills of domain experts. Such skills represent high level s trategies which apply across different medical domains and hence the p resented model is relatively generic. Preliminary evaluation:of an ear lier version of the diagnostic model, which yielded promising results, has led to a considerably improved model. A sample consultation given in an appendix illustrates most aspects of the current model. The pap er concludes by giving the authors' practical insights into the knowle dge engineering of medical diagnostic systems.