Flexor tendon injuries in the hand continue to be one of the greatest challenges in hand surgery and hand therapy. Despite the advances in surgical techniques, better understanding is needed of the tendon anatomy, healing process and suture strength, edema, scarring, and stiffness. The Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) system focuses on flexor tendon injuries in Zone II, which is technically the most demanding in both surgical and rehabilitation areas. This zone is considered a “No Man’s Land” in which not many surgeons feel comfortable repairing. It is very difficult and time-consuming for both the hand surgeon and hand therapist working with tendon injury patients to keep up with the ongoing advances in this field. However, it is essential to be aware of all the information that would be potentially useful in making optimal clinical judgments. Major functions of the system include supporting clinical diagnosis, treatment plan processes, promoting the use of best practices, condition-specific guidelines, and population-based management. In the medical field, knowledge automation expert systems are a widely used type of CDSS.

Questions for Discussion
1. Research other expert systems in other domains and list a few of them.
2. Why is important to evaluate the expert systems before they are put into use?