[The medical computer as a diagnostic aid in joint pain--attitude of patients and results].

409 unselected outpatients were asked standardized expert system questions on the medical history of joint complaints. An average number of 30.4 +/- 6.6 out of 60 questions with 346 different answers were asked in a mean time of 20.1 +/- 6.6 min. This time, required for the questions to be displayed on the computer screen and input assistance from a staff-member, proved to be comparable to the time required for a medical history to be taken on the same patients by a physician. In 75% of the cases the computer was able to predict the correct diagnosis on behalf of information of the medical history only. Using only medical history as a source of information, computer and physician had the same rate of wrong diagnoses. Before and after the standardized medical history on the computer screen all patients were asked about their opinion of the computer as a diagnostic aid. Male and younger patients more often appreciated computerized diagnosing. Just a few patients felt that their relation to the physician was disturbed by the computer or were inconvenienced themselves. Most patients stated they did not believe that physicians could ever be replaced by computers. Only a few of them had resignations about storage and statistical utilization of personal data.