1.1 Introduction
A computer is digital electronic machine capable of accepting input data, processing and producing an output (information). The computer is an important tool that plays a good role in the analysis of any subject that is to be programmed. Before a computer can be successfully programmed and utilized, it must be studied properly. Hence, “computer Science” which is the study of computer and its programming is mainly about the design and analysis, modeling and application of computer related system.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of study
Expert system play an indomitable role in various disciplines and the assistance it renders to man cannot be overemphasized. The development of experts system that capture skills and expertise of a human expert has not been easy and date back to the Second World War, where experts of computer tried relentlessly to develop technique or systems that would allow act more intelligently than human. But recently, experts system have proven their value by aiding for example, medical professionals in diagnosing diseases and scheduling task as well mechanics in trouble shooting locomotive problems and configuring complex computer hardware.
The uses of expert system on medical diagnosis of malaria include the interest of the research because of some spectacular activities it accomplished and to bring the awareness of the software to the doorstep of the readers and other medical and paramedical personnel’s.
The software helps the junior doctors accompanied by a nurse in answering the calls of some patients with tedious problems. This also helps the doctors generating some wise questions from a patient, based on the problems confronting him in order to get rid of some outstanding irregularities. Some potentialities built-in which serve as a watch dog patients on the sick beds. It helps in alerting a medical practitioner on call of imminent dangers against a patient and alleviates nurses the task of engaging themselves routine visits.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation by this study reveals the following challenges:
- File and record about patients are not properly kept.
- Drugs prescription is hardly ever done with the right age of the patient in mind.
- Error are easily made and hardly detected.
- Information is not well maintained.
1.4 Aim and Objective of study
The aim of this study is to design system that will provide adequate information about malaria diagnosis. In achieving this aim, a system will accomplish the following objectives;
- To help in the fight against of malaria mostly in Africa and in the world at large.
- To appraise the contributions of an expert system in medicine.
- To inform the medical practitioner that they can enjoy prolific alliance with computer systems.
- A Flexible and relatively easily maintained systems.
An improvement to quality by providing a consistent source of reliable expert guidance.
1.5 Significance of the study
The significance of expert systems in the diagnosis of malaria are too numerous to mention but a few has been listed out below;
- It takes a long time to train medical experts to know the symptoms of malaria and be able to give out the right drugs but with the proposed new system, only what is needed is the skills of operating the new system which requires entering patients information and their symptoms into the system and in turn the system brings out the type of malaria and the drugs to combat it.
- Consistent solution: Computers do not suffer some of the weaknesses of humans, such as getting tired or ill and they are more easily access than human experts. More time to evaluate decision result: Advice is obtained from the experts system quickly, leaving more time to weigh the possible result before action is taken.
- Human expert development is a continuous exercise but an expert system is built only once and updated continuously with new technologies.
1.6 Scope of the study
This research work will concentrate on malaria diagnosis system using Ferdicon Medical Diagnostic Laboratories Nig LTD as a case study. The proposed system developed will simulate expert reasoning, taking into consideration the clinical sign and test result. It generates accurate treatment, advice addressing and prescriptions to possible drugs that should be given to the patient.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
1.8 Definition of terms
Symptoms: Is the sign given when a particular thing want to happen
Vaccines: Are things you do to keep something away or to prevent a disease.
Diagnosis: The act or process of identifying or determining the nature and cause of a disease injury through evaluation, examination review of a patient laboratory data
Virus: Is a small infectious agent that replicated only inside the living cells of other organisms.
Primate: Is any mammal of the group that includes the lemurs, lories, tarsiers, monkeys, apes and humans
Drug: A drug is any substance (with the exception of food and water) which, when taken into the body, alters the body's function either physically and/or psychologically. Drugs may be legal (e.g. alcohol, caffeine and tobacco) or illegal (e.g. cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin).
Medication: A medication is a substance that is taken into or placed on the body that does one of the following things: most medications are used to cure disease or condition. (For example, antibiotics are given to cure an infection. Medications are also given to treat a medical condition).
Prescription: A prescription is a health-care program implemented by a physician or other qualified health care practitioner in the form of instructions that govern the plan of care for an individual patient.
Symptom: A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is apparent to a patient, reflecting the presence of an unusual state or of a disease. (For example: tiredness, cough or fever).
Administration: An administration is the act of giving a drug to somebody or a patient.
Information: It is used to tell someone that they are wrong about something.
Therapeutics: The branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of disease.
Dosage: This is an amount of drug taken regularly over a particular period of time.
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