Quack Finder: A Probabilistic Approach

Authors

  • Faisal Bukhari Department of Data Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Mahrukh Saleem Punjab University College of Information Technology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
  • Rabia Zafar Punjab University College of Information Technology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.
  • Muhammad Idrees Department of Data Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6411-5956
  • Waheed Iqbal Department of Data Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Zubair Nawaz Department of Data Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
  • Saqib Saleem Consultant Physician, Bahria International Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan

Keywords:

Quacks, Malpractice, Probabilistic approach, Self-medication, Android app

Abstract

Quackery is profoundly rooted in rural areas, , but cities are also considerably affected. Countries, whether developed or developing, are experiencing this curse. Quackery is one of the primary reasons for the recent AIDS epidemic among children in Pakistan. In this research, we have conducted two separate surveys to study the causes of quackery. The sample sizes for the public and physicians were 157 and 58, respectively. The first questionnaire was handed to the respondents based in Pakistan to reveal the reasons behind the quackery and its widespread existence. The second questionnaire was designed to examine physicians' perceptions of quackery. The data were analyzed and we physicians having permit granted by the PMDC (Pakistan Medical and Dental Council) should be placed in doctor's clinics to help people distinguish between quacks and physicians. According to the conducted survey government may be held accountable behind the spread of quackery whereas lack of awareness from the media and high illiteracy rates are also the lead causes. Moreover, according to doctor’s perspective, awareness campaigns will surely help us to overcome this menace. It is not simple for common people to differentiate a quack from a doctor. To assist the common person, we have created a prototype android app called "Quack Finder"' based on our survey outcomes to predict whether an individual is a quack or a doctor.

Full Text

Author Biographies

Faisal Bukhari, Department of Data Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Department of Data Science,

University of the Punjab,

Lahore, Pakistan

Mahrukh Saleem, Punjab University College of Information Technology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Punjab University College of Information Technology

University of the Punjab

Lahore, Pakistan.

Rabia Zafar, Punjab University College of Information Technology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.

Punjab University College of Information Technology

University of the Punjab

Lahore, Pakistan.

Muhammad Idrees, Department of Data Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Dr. Muhammad Idrees is serving the Department of Data Science (DDS), University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan as Assistant Professor from 30-March-2021. Previously he served the Punjab University College of Information Technology (PUCIT) from 2008 as a regular Faculty Member and from 1994 as visiting/contact teacher in the computing-related domain. Dr. Idrees completed his Ph.D. degree in the area of Visual Programming Languages. Prior to that has two master’s degrees in Physics and Computer Science, M.Phil. degree in Computer Science, Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Science, and Professional certifications from Oracle. He has received all the Computer Science degrees with distinctions. He started his professional career in Computer Science and Information Technology as a programmer and left the IT industry in 2008 to join Academia. While working in the IT industry he enjoyed top positions in various software houses and successfully concluded dozens of local and international software development projects. During this period, he provided consultancy services to the local IT industry and continuously engaged himself in teaching software development-related courses at his alma mater, the University of the Punjab. His core research interests include data structure and algorithms, and computer programming. He is also conducting research in the areas of visual programming, autonomous robots, internet of things (IoT), image processing, and computer vision. He can be accessible at the following email address.

Waheed Iqbal, Department of Data Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Department of Data Science

University of the Punjab

Lahore, Pakistan

Zubair Nawaz, Department of Data Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Department of Data Science

University of the Punjab

Lahore, Pakistan

Saqib Saleem, Consultant Physician, Bahria International Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan

Consultant Physician

Bahria International Hospital

Lahore, Pakistan.

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Published

2022-04-23

How to Cite

Bukhari, F., Saleem, M., Zafar, R., Idrees, M., Iqbal, W., Nawaz, Z., & Saleem, S. (2022). Quack Finder: A Probabilistic Approach. International Journal of Innovations in Science & Technology, 4(2), 348–364. Retrieved from https://journal.50sea.com/index.php/IJIST/article/view/225

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Vol. 4 No. 2 (2022): Vol 4 Issue 2

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