How one patient found errors in the algorithm making transplant decisions • Hacker News Board

Re: How one patient found errors in the algorithm making transplant decisions

#21

Post by to11mtm » Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 12:44 AM UTC

sodii wrote: post #19

JudasGoat wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At a recent physical, my doctor informed me that "according to the drug company's algorithm" I should begin taking a cholesterol reducing drug. I had to wonder about the transparency of such an approach.

'algorithm' in that context is not a computer program, but a flow chart or decision tree made by distilling the result of various medical trials.

> but a flow chart or decision tree made by distilling the result of various medical trials.

I think you misspelled 'marketing materials' on one side or the other here.

Re: How one patient found errors in the algorithm making transplant decisions

#22

Post by helsinkiandrew » Fri, Nov 10, 2023, 8:10 AM UTC

I believe (but am not 100% certain) that this is the calculator mentioned in the article:

https://transplantbenefit.org/

Re: How one patient found errors in the algorithm making transplant decisions

#23

Post by sodii » Sun, Nov 12, 2023, 11:44 AM UTC

to11mtm wrote: post #21

sodii wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'algorithm' in that context is not a computer program, but a flow chart or decision tree made by distilling the result of various medical trials.

> but a flow chart or decision tree made by distilling the result of various medical trials. I think you misspelled 'marketing materials' on one side or the other here.

Whether to take a cholesterol-reducing drug is pretty big decision, and no sane person would make such decision based on marketing materials.

the algorithms come from academic societies, and looks like this:

https://www.acc.org/~/media/Non-Clinical/Files-PDFs-Excel-MS...

Many marketing materials contain cheatsheets for such established decision algorithms, to encourage doctors keep the material around.