GP diagnostic system found to improve accuracy, study indicates

The DSS requires GPs to enter an initial explanation for the patient’s decision to have a consultation and then displays a series of potential diagnoses based on the patient’s age, sex and other personal details.

The research involved monitoring 34 GPs use of the tool in clinical scenarios, and found there was an eight per cent absolute increase in diagnostic accuracy.

The DSS will develop as more symptoms are recorded, with the list of diagnoses reordering as more information is supplied about the incidence of each condition.

Commenting on the diagnostic tool’s impact on GP cognition, the researchers said: “The precise psychological mechanisms through which the DSS works, and its impact on cognition, are not known. It is possible that it has a debiasing effect by disrupting intuitive thinking based on first impressions, and encourages a more reflective or cautious approach.”

With regard to the usability of the tool, the report summary noted: “The GPs learned to use the DSS quickly, and found it usable. The patients did not perceive the GP and the consultation differently when the DSS was used. Thus, the authors found no evidence to support the traditionally expressed concerns by GPs, patients, and researchers about the impact on the doctor–patient relationship of using a DSS.”