Decision-making in clinical practice: application of predictors, indicators and indices to the medical history obtained by a self-administered questionnaire.
A theoretical description of predictors, indicators, and health indices was presented in an earlier paper (Hall and Sebag, 1974). The application of predictors, indicators and health indices--including dynamic health indices--to anamnestic data obtained by a self-administered questionnaire is presented herein. Predictors and indicators showed a varying degree of 'decision-making significance' in the 122 questions examined. The health index distinguished between diagnosed individuals and those receiving no diagnosis(es). The dynamic health index was found to reflect changes in the health status of an individual over a period of time.