HepatoConsult: a knowledge-based second opinion and documentation system.

HepatoConsult is a publicly available knowledge-based second opinion and documentation system aiding in the diagnosis of liver diseases. The positive results of a prospective diagnostic evaluation study encouraged its use in clinical routine, although the available hardware infrastructure was not optimal. The comments of the physicians who used the system confirmed the results of the study and showed that the time for data entering is acceptable and the implicit standardization of terminology and documentation is welcome. Suggestions for improvement included the interface to enter data more easily, the scope to be usable for more patients and the additional capability to generate medical reports from the data.