The GIDEON Tutorial

DIAGNOSIS

Now, back to our Mongolian Mystery.

Activate the Diagnosis module by using the mouse. In country list by type 'M' … or use the arrow keys or mouse if you prefer. (Note that many countries have alternate names - such as Democratic Congo for Zaire. You can access the alternate country list by pressing the icon to the right of the 'Disease acquired in' list, and scroll to any unfamiliar designation to access its official name in GIDEON).
If you wish, you can add the dates on which disease began; and when exposure began and ended. In the present case, it might be useful to know when the patient entered (or left) Mongolia; when he was in contact with rats, etc. These details can be entered by clicking the small 'Calendar' icons below the country name - or by entering the data manually. Such details will help to narrow the differential diagnosis by factoring in the element of incubation period. So, lets say that the patient entered Mongolia on January 1 and became ill on January 20.
In the 'Symptoms and Signs' screen, you may indicate the presence or absence of any number or combination of clinical and laboratory findings. Place the cursor on the desired detail and click once (yes) or twice (no). Note that major categories are subdivided (ie, hemoptysis is a subheading in 'Pulmonary, thoracic or cardiac). Subheadings can be accessed by clicking the small + sign to the left of the desired category. In some cases, there are sub-sub categories (ie, Neutrophilia is a category under Hematological, which is in turn under Laboratory tests). Also note that as your cursor passes through the names of signs and symptoms, you can click on any term to access a box which explains the meaning of each sign or symptom.
You also have the option to add an unlimited quantity of personal observations, import electronic charts, E-mail, etc to the Personal Notes box at the lower right. Note that all cases in the diagnosis module can be saved for future use, by clicking the Save button .

After you have entered this patient's clinical picture, the screen should look something like this:

GIDEON: Diagnosis Tutorial

Now click on the 'Diagnose!' button. GIDEON will list a ranked differential diagnosis list for this patient as follows:

At this point, you have a number of interesting options - appearing as buttons on the top right. You may E-mail or Print the case; or ask GIDEON why a given disease did not appear among the diagnoses [upper left]. For example, you may have felt that this patient is suffering from Lassa Fever. Press 'Why Not' and scroll to Lassa Fever. Read the attached box to see why this is not possible.