PREOP: development of an evidence-based expert system to assist with preoperative assessments.

PREOP is a prototype expert system that is designed to provide physicians with evidence-based recommendations concerning the assessment and care of patients with comorbid medical problems who are about to undergo surgery. The knowledgebase for this system is currently undergoing transition from the conventional advice of medical experts, which is variably related to evidence published in the medical literature, to a more formal approach in …