title: ISABEL: a web-based differential diagnostic aid for paediatrics: results from an initial performance evaluation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the clinical accuracy of a web based differential diagnostic tool (ISABEL) for a set of case histories collected during a two stage evaluation.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  acute paediatric units in two teaching and two district general hospitals in the southeast of England.
  
  
  METHODS
  sets of summary clinical features from both stages, and the diagnoses expected for these features from stage I (hypothetical cases provided by participating clinicians in August 2000) and final diagnoses for cases in stage II (children presenting to participating acute paediatric units between October and December 2000).
  
  
  METHODS
  presence of the expected or final diagnosis in the ISABEL output list.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 99 hypothetical cases from stage I and 100 real life cases from stage II were included in the study. Cases from stage II covered a range of paediatric specialties (n = 14) and final diagnoses (n = 55). ISABEL displayed the diagnosis expected by the clinician in 90/99 hypothetical cases (91%). In stage II evaluation, ISABEL displayed the final diagnosis in 83/87 real cases (95%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ISABEL showed acceptable clinical accuracy in producing the final diagnosis for a variety of real as well as hypothetical case scenarios.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Imperial College School of Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Norfolk Place, London, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ramnarayan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coren
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Winrow
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Britto
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D016288:Computer Terminals; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity