Developing high-specificity anti-hypertensive alerts by therapeutic state analysis of electronic prescribing records.

Objective: This paper presents a model for analysis of chronic disease prescribing action over time in terms of transitions in status of therapy as indicated in electronic prescribing records. The quality of alerts derived from these therapeutic state transitions is assessed in the context of antihypertensive prescribing.

Design: A set of alert criteria is developed based on analysis of state-transition in past antihypertensive prescribing of a rural Australian General Practice.