Intelligent database generated occupational questionnaire system

Obtaining an adequate occupational history requires special expertise to 'ask the right questions' that are relevant to a particular patient's specific health conditions and potential exposures. This article describes a way to systematically accomplish this by means of a computer system that can overcome limited availability of necessary clinical occupational health expertise. The Intelligent Questionnaire system is a computer-based system for generating case-specific questionnaires about the influence of work on respiratory disease. Intelligent Questionnaire includes three databases: Questions, Responses, and Calls (clues to identify questions). The Questionnaire also arranges questions in a logical manner and provides a customized data entry screen for each subject. This approach provides primary practitioners with expertise on a case-by-case basis. It also facilitates occupational health surveillance because it allows acquiring detailed case- specific information in a systematic fashion. A computer-based system can facilitate obtaining occupational histories with high specificity and consistency without depending on general availability of a human occupational health clinical expertise.