1. Disease Profiling for Computerized Peer Support of Ménière's Disease
- Author
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Rasku, Jyrki, Pyykkö, Ilmari, Levo, Hilla, Kentala, Erna, and Manchaiah, Vinaya
- Subjects
Ménière’s disease ,participation restriction ,medicine.medical_specialty ,diagnosis ,disease profiling ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Applied psychology ,Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation ,Disease ,Peer support ,computer.software_genre ,03 medical and health sciences ,peer-support ,0302 clinical medicine ,Health care ,Medical technology ,Medicine ,Profiling (information science) ,Personality ,R855-855.5 ,030223 otorhinolaryngology ,media_common ,Original Paper ,business.industry ,Rehabilitation ,activity limitation ,medicine.disease ,Expert system ,3. Good health ,machine learning ,enablement ,Physical therapy ,Anxiety ,medicine.symptom ,business ,computer ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Meniere's disease - Abstract
Background: Peer support is an emerging form of person-driven active health care. Chronic conditions such as Meniere’s disease (a disorder of the inner ear) need continuing rehabilitation and support that is beyond the scope of routine clinical medical practice. Hence, peer-support programs can be helpful in supplementing some of the rehabilitation aspects. Objective: The aim of this study was to design a computerized data collection system for the peer support of Meniere’s disease that is capable in profiling the subject for diagnosis and in assisting with problem solving. Methods: The expert program comprises several data entries focusing on symptoms, activity limitations, participation restrictions, quality of life, attitude and personality trait, and an evaluation of disease-specific impact. Data was collected from 740 members of the Finnish Meniere’s Federation and utilized in the construction and evaluation of the program. Results: The program verifies the diagnosis of a person by using an expert system, and the inference engine selects 50 cases with matched symptom severity by using a nearest neighbor algorithm. These cases are then used as a reference group to compare with the person’s attitude, sense of coherence, and anxiety. The program provides feedback for the person and uses this information to guide the person through the problem-solving process. Conclusions: This computer-based peer-support program is the first example of an advanced computer-oriented approach using artificial intelligence, both in the profiling of the disease and in profiling the person’s complaints for hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo. [JMIR Rehabil Assist Technol 2015;2(2):e9]
- Published
- 2015