# Why ISM\_TRANSITION of an ACTION is mandatory?
**URL:** https://discourse.openehr.org/t/why-ism-transition-of-an-action-is-mandatory/14947
**Category:** Technical (archive)
**Created:** [19 November 2009 02:17 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/why-ism-transition-of-an-action-is-mandatory/14947 "2009-11-19T02:17:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pablo](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/pablo)
#### Post date: [19 November 2009 02:17 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/why-ism-transition-of-an-action-is-mandatory/14947/1 "2009-11-19T02:17:10Z")
Hi,
In the specs I see that ACTION has a mandatory relationship to ISM\_TRANSITION.
In my project I only use the “description” field of ACTION to record information about the ACTION and I don’t have information to fill the ISM\_TRANSITION.
My question is: why the ISM\_TRANSITION of the ACTION is mandatory instead of optional?
Thank you,
Pablo.
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### Author:  [@thomas.beale](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/thomas.beale)
#### Post date: [22 November 2009 19:08 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/why-ism-transition-of-an-action-is-mandatory/14947/2 "2009-11-22T19:08:32Z")
pablo pazos wrote:
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### Author:  [@pablo](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/pablo)
#### Post date: [23 November 2009 03:40 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/why-ism-transition-of-an-action-is-mandatory/14947/3 "2009-11-23T03:40:31Z")
Hi Thomas,
In our implementation of a Trauma EHR, we don’t have an explicit state machine with the status of the action to work with, we only have a record of what was done. Trauma is a quick care act, and the physicians only want to check what actions they do on the patient, and in this case the description of the care act is enough for our record detaile level. I understand in something like give medication in an ICU has to follow a state machine for what was planned, active, suspended, etc, but in trauma a medication is given without a plan and is a one time thing, so it can’t be suspended or cancelled.
I also want to know the experience of other people modeling their “action” care entries.
Best regards,
Pablo Pazos Gutierrez
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### Author:  [@thomas.beale](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/thomas.beale)
#### Post date: [23 November 2009 07:59 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/why-ism-transition-of-an-action-is-mandatory/14947/4 "2009-11-23T07:59:22Z")
pablo pazos wrote:
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### Author:  [@pablo](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/pablo)
#### Post date: [23 November 2009 20:36 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/why-ism-transition-of-an-action-is-mandatory/14947/5 "2009-11-23T20:36:57Z")
Ok, I’ll do that.
Thank you Thomas.
Cheers,
Pablo.