Intelligent database generated occupational questionnaire system

Obtaining an adequate occupational history requires special expertise to "a sk the right questions" that are relevant to a particular patient's specifi c health conditions and potential exposures. This article describes a way t o systematically accomplish this by means of a computer system that can ove rcome limited availability of necessary clinical occupational health expert ise. The Intelligent Questionnaire system is a computer-based system for ge nerating case-specific questionnaires about the influence of work on, respi ratory disease. Intelligent Questionnaire includes three databases: Questio ns, Responses, and Calls (clues to identify questions). The Questionnaire a lso arranges questions in a logical manner and provides a customized data e ntry screen for each subject. This approach provides primary practitioners with expertise on a case-by-case basis. It also facilitates occupational he alth surveilance because it allows acquiring detailed case-specific informa tion in a systematic fashion. A computer-based system can facilitate obtain ing occupational histories with high specificity and consistency without de pending on general availability of a human occupational health clinical exp ertise.