Applying descriptive discriminant analysis as a visual aid for physicians interpreting biochemical test results.

Descriptive discriminant analysis displays for classes of common hepatic and biliary disorders and other mimicking conditions using 11 biochemical measurements, were demonstrated to physicians as an aid to interpretation. Displayed on a video, biochemical distinctions among disorders were made apparent to viewers. Physician users could easily see where their patient's results fell in relation to other results from patients with relevant diseases. Users had difficulty specifying which diseases they wanted included in displays. This technique would be useful for verifying experts' test result interpretations, when the differential diagnosis can be explicitly stated.