title: Artificial intelligence techniques: An efficient new approach to challenge the assessment of complex clinical fields such as airway clearance techniques in patients with cystic fibrosis?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To construct an artificial intelligence application to assist untrained physiotherapists in determining the appropriate physiotherapy exercises to improve the quality of life of patients with cystic fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 42 children (21 boys and 21 girls), age range 6-18 years, participated in a clinical survey between 2001 and 2005.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data collected during the clinical survey were entered into a neural network in order to correlate the health state indicators of the patients and the type of physiotherapy exercise to be followed. Cross-validation of the network was carried out by comparing the health state indicators achieved after following a certain physiotherapy exercise and the health state indicators predicted by the network.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The lifestyle and health state indicators of the survey participants improved. The network predicted the health state indicators of the participants with an accuracy of 93%. The results of the cross-validation test were within the error margins of the real-life indicators.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using data on the clinical state of individuals with cystic fibrosis, it is possible to determine the most effective type of physiotherapy exercise for improving overall health state indicators.
authors: Department of Mechanics, Politehnica University, 300006 Timisoara, Romania. titusslavici@yahoo.com
authors: Titus
authors: T
authors: Slavici
authors: Bogdan
authors: B
authors: Almajan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D002648:Child; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D012138:Respiratory Therapy / Q000379:methods*