Automated Multiphasic Health
Testing (AMHT) is an early medical computer system for screening large numbers
of ill or healthy people in a short period of time semiautomatically.
Lester Breslow, a public health official, pioneered the AMHT
idea in 1948, integrating typical automated medical questionnaires with mass
screening procedures for groups of individuals being examined for specific
illnesses like diabetes, TB, or heart disease.
Multiphasic health testing involves integrating a number of
tests into a single package to screen a group of individuals for different
diseases, illnesses, or injuries.
AMHT might be related to regular physical exams or health
programs.
Humans are subjected to examinations similar to those used
in state inspections of autos.
In other words, AMHT approaches preventative medical care in
a factory-like manner.
In the 1950s, Automated Multiphasic Health Testing (AMHT)
became popular, allowing health care networks to swiftly screen new candidates.
In 1951, the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan began offering a
Multiphasic Health Checkup to its members.
Morris F. Collen, an electrical engineer and physician, was
the program's director from 1961 until 1979.
The "Kaiser Checkup," which used an IBM 1440
computer to crunch data from patient interviews, lab testing, and clinical
findings, looked for undetected illnesses and made treatment suggestions.
Patients hand-sorted 200 prepunched cards with printed
questions requiring "yes" or "no" replies at the
questionnaire station (one of twenty such stations).
The computer shuffled the cards and used a probability ratio
test devised by Jerzy Neyman, a well-known statistician.
Electrocardiographic, spirographic, and
ballistocardiographic medical data were also captured by Kaiser's computer system.
A Kaiser Checkup takes around two and a half hours to
complete.
BUPA in the United Kingdom and a nationwide program created
by the Swedish government are two examples of similar AMHT initiatives that
have been introduced in other countries.
The popularity of computerized health testing has fallen in
recent decades.
There are issues concerning privacy as well as financial
considerations.
Working with AMHT, doctors and computer scientists learned
that the body typically masks symptoms.
A sick person may pass through diagnostic devices
successfully one day and then die the next.
Electronic medical recordkeeping, on the other hand, has
succeeded where AMHT has failed.
Without physical handling or duplication, records may be
sent, modified, and returned.
Multiple health providers may utilize patient charts at the
same time.
Uniform data input ensures readability and consistency in
structure.
Summary reports may now be generated automatically from the
information gathered in individual electronic medical records using electronic
medical records software.
These "big data" reports make it possible to
monitor changes in medical practice as well as evaluate results over time.
Summary reports also enable cross-patient analysis, a
detailed algorithmic examination of prognoses by patient groups, and the
identification of risk factors prior to the need for therapy.
The application of deep learning algorithms to medical data
has sparked a surge of interest in so-called cognitive computing for health
care.
IBM's Watson system and Google DeepMind Health, two current
leaders, promise changes in eye illness and cancer detection and treatment.
Also unveiled by IBM is the Medical Sieve system, which
analyzes both radiological images and textual documents.
Clinical Decision Support Systems, Computer-Assisted
Diagnosis, INTERNIST-I, and QMR are all examples of clinical decision support
systems.
~ Jai Krishna Ponnappan
You may also want to read more about Artificial Intelligence here.
See also:
Clinical Decision Support Systems; Computer-Assisted Diagnosis; INTERNIST-I and QMR.
Further Reading
Ayers, W. R., H. M. Hochberg, and C. A. Caceres. 1969. “Automated Multiphasic Health Testing.” Public Health Reports 84, no. 7 (July): 582–84.
Bleich, Howard L. 1994. “The Kaiser Permanente Health Plan, Dr. Morris F. Collen, and Automated Multiphasic Testing.” MD Computing 11, no. 3 (May–June): 136–39.
Collen, Morris F. 1965. “Multiphasic Screening as a Diagnostic Method in Preventive Medicine.” Methods of Information in Medicine 4, no. 2 (June): 71–74.
Collen, Morris F. 1988. “History of the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program.” Interviewed by Sally Smith Hughes. Berkeley: Regional Oral History Office, Bancroft Library, University of California.
Mesko, Bertalan. 2017. “The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Precision Medicine.” Expert Review of Precision Medicine and Drug Development 2, no. 5 (September): 239–41.
Roberts, N., L. Gitman, L. J. Warshaw, R. A. Bruce, J. Stamler, and C. A. Caceres. 1969. “Conference on Automated Multiphasic Health Screening: Panel Discussion, Morning Session.” Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine 45, no. 12 (December): 1326–37.
