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PT-pol
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The PT-pol project
| Anticoagulant therapy is critical in
the sense that the therapeutic window for anticoagulant
drugs is very narrow and an inaccurate dose might have
life-threatening effects. Doses which are too high might
cause bleeding and doses which are too low might increase
the risk for thrombosis. Thus it is essential to manage
this patient group carefully, and regular and frequent
check-ups are needed. The application area is well suited
for computer based decision support, and a system with a
knowledge base written as Medical Logic Modules (MLMs)
according to the Arden syntax knowledge representation
has been built and implemented. The system is built as a critiquing decision support that uses reminders, and is triggered when the individual prescription is signed. The critiquing mode has been chosen in order to maintain the alertness and skills of the staff. About 30 rules are used which, among others, include checks for:
PT-pol enables preliminary or definite prescriptions by lab technician in 90% of the cases. Only if something abnormal has happened to the patient or his/her prothrombin level does the responsible physician have to check the prescription. The system has been running since 1987 at the Linköping University Hospital, and later at two other hospitals, and has a high user satisfaction. The laboratory technicians are happy with the system because they can carry out their work with the assurance that incorrect prescriptions will be criticized by the system, and the system has expanded the content of their work and increased their job satisfaction. |
