This paper describes an operational computer-based system for conducting Drug Prescribing Review (DPR). The system was designed to: arrive at specific judgements about the potential problems of drug orders taking into account the characteristics of the patient and their medical conditions; be relatively independent of the structure of the data base; and be capable of expressing and evaluating any DPR criteria. This was accomplished by developing a hierarchical, rule-based system for expressing and evaluating DPR criteria. This system was then linked with a specific patient data base for implementation. Drug orders for 65 patients have been evaluated and the results agree with expert judgement. The rule-based DPR system appears to be a feasible method of evaluation of drug orders.
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