PIESYS: A patient model-based intelligent system for continuing hypertension management

Hypertension is estimated to be the third leading cause of death worldwide and its management is based on guidelines regarding diagnosis, evaluation, risk assessment, treatment and continuing care. This paper presents an intelligent decision support system, which operationalises algorithms for hypertension management using intelligent technologies. PIESYS encourages blood pressure control and recommends guideline-concordant choice of drug therapy in relation to co morbid diseases. Because evidence for best management of hypertension is mostly individualized, PIESYS is designed to help clinical experts to customize their therapeutic strategy with the use of the Patient Response Database (PRDB) incorporating initial or current data with patient responses or side effects, providing response-adaptive continual care. Together with PRDB, PIESYS uses an independent module, called Computerized Patient Model (CPM), reflecting patient's current state, which affects therapy or care modifications for hypertension management. PIESYS introduces personalised (patient-centric) approach in health care systems in contrast to guideline-dependent classical ones.