ABSTRACT
Our society today has a very serious pandemic that is epidemic. HIV is a serious public health socio-economic and developmental problem in Edo State, Nigeria and the whole world. Since the beginning of this pandemic, a quarter century ago, up to 122,500, 4 million and 42 million people have been infected in Edo State, in Nigeria and globally respectively and half have died. For many years, HIV was a silent epidemic even when millions of people were infected very few showed outward signs of the illness. The prevalence of HIV and its devastating effect of the nation’s health and economy have prompted the need to develop an expert system that will provide general information on HIV to the public while it’s been used for effective diagnosis and treatment of the disease in hospitals. The focal point of this project is to develop and illustrate the application of the system to the diagnosis and treatment of HIV. It involves a sequence of methodological and analytical decision steps that enhances the quality and meaning of the clusters produced. The proposed system eliminates the uncertainties often associated with analysis of HIV test data. This expert system combines the experimental and experimented knowledge with the initiative of reasoning skills of specialist to aid doctors, patients, parents and homes in making the best decision. It is also designed to improve the quality of the exchange of health information between health care professionals and patients especially information related to HIV
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Medical diagnosis system is a computer program that has been programmed with medical knowledge and requires the collection of the knowledge of medical doctors together. This now helps the computers to have vast range of knowledge for diagnosing and prescribing with the aid of inputted symptoms (Giarratano, & Riley, 2019). Computer is basically made up of electronic devices using digital signals for recording data and information. It offers greater assistance in industrial operations control, automated manufacturing systems, simulations, weather forecasting, education and training etc. For the scope of this study, we are limited to computer aided diagnosis and treatment of HIV (computerized system for the diagnosis and treatment of HIV). With the use of Medical diagnosis system, all record for patients in the hospital can easily be entered into the database, without losing any patient information. It makes HIV diagnosing easy for all staff in the hospital.
Computerized system for the diagnosis and treatment of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a facility with sufficient software which identifies the presence of HIV virus in human body and prescribes drugs for the treatment, depending on its level of development and type of co-infection present in the person. It also store necessary information about the patient and retrieve it when needed. Human Immunodeficiency Virus, infectious agent that causes Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a disease that leaves a person vulnerable to life-threatening infections. Scientists have identified two types of this virus. HIV-1 is the primary cause of HIV worldwide. HIV-2 is found mostly in West Africa. HIV gradually and progressively damages the body’s immune system (defense mechanism) that protects the body from infections and diseases (Sweat, 2019).
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), a human viral disease that ravages the immune system, undermining the body’s ability to defend itself from infection and disease. Caused by the HIV, leaves an infected person vulnerable to opportunistic infections—infection by microbes that take advantage of a weakened immune system. Such infections are usually harmless i healthy people but can prove life-threatening to people with HIV. Although there is no cure for, new drugs are available that can prolong the life spans and improve the quality of life of infected people (Giarratano, et al., 2019).
Transmission of HIV-the HIV-causing virus-occurs most commonly as a result of sexual intercourse. HIV also can be transmitted through transfusions of HIV-contaminated blood or by using a contaminated needle or syringe to inject drugs into the bloodstream. Infection with HIV does not necessarily mean that a person has HIV. Some people who have HIV infection may not develop any of the clinical illnesses that define the full-blown disease of HIV for ten years or more. Physicians prefer to use the term HIV for cases where a person has reached the final, life-threatening stage of HIV infection (Smith, 2015).
This project tends to proffer a solution for the reduction of the deadly virus (HIV) to the barest minimum if not fully eradicated from the society. Health, they say is wealth because a healthy population is an economic asset. Nigeria is one of the countries whose population has been infiltrated by HIV (UNAIDS/WHO, 2019). Effort has been made by different medical personnel’s to ensure improvement in the treatment and prevention of this deadly virus. Scaling up care for thousands of patients require information management to ensure that each patient can be identified and his or her health status monitored effectively. Also, the laboratory results needs to be monitored and communicated to the doctor(s) and drug supplies are always available at its sites. Highly antiretroviral therapy requires daily administration of three antiretroviral drugs to maintain control of the disease and to minimize emergence of HIV. Implementing this rapid treatment expansion in a region with few doctors and virtually no good roads, electricity or poor communication is a major challenge. This system therefore becomes a very vital infrastructure that will assist the doctors and nurses with their daily activities to reduce time waste, stress and errors (Smith, 2015).
There are poor information storage method in hospitals: because of the wide use of medical terms by the doctor, the patients most time could not keep track of information being passed from the doctor to them, Time wasted due to the queue system in hospital and clinic, work load on doctors during diagnosing process in the hospital, and finally, because of illegal removal of files by fraudulent staff leading to insecurity.
Computerized HIV management system will help medical practitioners in prescribing patient the exact drugs and medications at ease, offers registration of patients, request for treatment or the vaccine or you can request for the drugs for the bacteria. Also computerized HIV management system will help in the society in that the vaccine is not everywhere, this project will help someone in knowing how to control and avoid the bacteria.
1.2 Statement of the Problems
Some of the problems adherents to the manual operations of HIV diagnostic unit in the hospital are:
- Poor information storage method: Because of the wide use of medical terms by the doctor, the patients most time could not keep track of information being passed from the doctor to them.
- Inaccurate medical diagnosis which leads to giving wrong report to patients.
- Work load on doctors during diagnosing process in the hospital.
- No unified database to store patient records and lab test results.
- Time wasted due to the queue system in hospital and clinic.
- Illegal removal of files by fraudulent staff leading to insecurity.
1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this study is to design and implement computerized HIV management system.
The objectives of this study are as highlighted below:
- To reduce the work load on doctors during diagnosing process in the hospital.
- To keep proper records of all patient diagnosis record.
- To provide a unified database to store patient records and lab test results.
- To ensure data security by restricting access to the program and to the database.
- To work towards the elimination of waste of time in queue to see a doctor for diagnose.
- To enable patient easily get their health status without the waste of more money.
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- Significance of the Study
This study will enable self-medical checkup even without the doctor’s assistance, assist the society in computerized medical advices in other to reduce the spread of HIV, get a fast aid and prescription after medical checkup for a group of patient within a short time of the same medical diagnoses.
1.5 Scope of the Study
This project covers the practical use of computer in the HIV diagnostic department and mainly for Federal Polytechnic Oko Medical Centre, Anambra State. This study is centered on the medical diagnosis and treatment of HIV. It covers both simple and complex cases of the disease in both male and female and also the treatment of the co-infections.
1.6 Limitations of Study
In the course of carrying out this research work a number of problems were encountered.
- Lack of adequate fund to finance the project: this was another limitation to this work because much money is needed to carry out a detailed research work which is not easily borne by every student.
- Power Routine: The source and authority of Electric power supply Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) is another limitation of this project. Some typed work was lost due to the power interruption and had to be retyped.
- Time Constraints: Looking at the interval between the resumption of the final semester, the time given is too short for collection of required information and a more comprehensive fact finding for a better work would have been done if given enough time.
1.7 Definition of Terms
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV): Human viral disease that ravages the immune system, undermining the body’s ability to defend itself from infections and diseases. HIV is caused by the Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV).
Analyst: This is a person or professional who studies the problem encountered by a system and creates means of solving them by introducing a better system.
Antenatal or Antepartum: A care provided before birth.
Antiretroviral Therapy (ART): The recommended treatment for HIV. ART involves taking a combination of three or more anti-HIV medications from at least two different drug classes every day to control the virus.
Antiretroviral: A medication that prevents a retrovirus, such as HIV, from making copies of itself. Anti-HIV medications are also called antiretroviral.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): This is simply the science of automating intelligent behavior currently achievable by human. It is a field that focuses on developing techniques that enables the computer system to perform activities like human. A study of how to make computer do things at which precisely people are better.
CD4 Count: The number of CD4 cells in a sample of blood. A CD4 count measures how well the immune system is working.
Combating: To take action to reduce or prevent (something bad or undesirable).
Computer Program: This is a set or sequence of instruction written for a computer to perform a specific task. A computer requires program to function, typically executing the program’s instructions in a central processor.
Computer: Computer is an electronic device operating the control of instructions stored in its memory that can accept data (input) manipulate the data according to a specified rules (processing) produces result output and stores the result for future use.
Consultation: A meeting with an expert or a professional in a particular area or field in order to seek advice. A meeting to discuss about a sick person.
Control: The act of limiting the spread of the virus.
Data processing: is defined as the entire process of converting or manipulating data into definite meaningful information (Adigwe, & Okoye, 2015).
Data: It is the facts collected for decision making they are facts that are kept to be processed to get more information.
Database Management System (DBMS): it is software which controls the flow of data and checks and checks on how data are stored.
Database: is an organized /unique collection of related files. It is a collection of schemas, tables, queries, reports, views and other object.
Delivery: Child birth or parturition.
Design: is the art or process of designing how something will look, work.
Diagnosis: This is the identification of the nature of an illness or other problem by thorough examination of the symptoms. Diagnosis can as well be a distinctive characterization in precise terms of a genus, species or phenomenon.
Documentation: material that provides official information or evidence that serves as record; written specifications and information that describes the product.
Expert System: Expert System is software which can replicate the thinking process of a human and make logical decisions accordingly.
HIV: Human immunodeficiency virus. HIV is a virus that attacks the immune system, putting people infected with HIV at risk for life-threatening infections and cancer.
Infection: Invasion of body tissue by micro-organism.
Information: is a processed data that can be read and understand.
Input: A set of data sent to the computer processing.
MTCT: Mother to Child Transmission.
PABA: People Affected by HIV
PLWHA: People living with HIV
PMTCT: Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission.
Prevention: The process of stopping an infection from spreading.
Security: This helps to prevent unauthorized users from illegally accessing certain data within the database, it protects your data/ files.
Software: These are set of logically related instructions given to the computer to perform some specific task.
System: Is the collection of hardware and software, data information procedure and people.
Window Period: The time period between a person’s infection with HIV and the appearance of detectable HIV antibodies.
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