BIOMEDICAL KNOWLEDGE BASE SYSTEM FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH SECTOR IN KENYA

Abstract

There has been a growing need in Kenya health sector for an interactive computer-based decision tool that uses both facts and heuristics to solve difficult decisions making problems, based on knowledge acquired from an expert. Recent studies have established that expert system in public health sector does not necessarily disseminate indigenous biomedical knowledge but rather a customized expert system could. Hence, a biomedical expert system is proposed. The front end was designed using Macromedia Dream Weaver 8.0, Macro Media Flash, Html5, Css, Javascript, and jQuery. The Biomedical expert system logic was made using Php, and the Mysql 5.0 was used to develop the back end. Pilot study was then done to test the applicability of the system at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and technology. Purposive sampling was applied to collect data on public usage of the knowledgebase system where 330 users participated. Classification accuracy of matching and non-matching web searches of greater than 70 % of the target population was achieved. Specificity was satisfactory for all the outcomes.