A role for pharmacists in community-based post-discharge warfarin management: protocol for the 'the role of community pharmacy in post hospital management of patients initiated on warfarin' study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Shorter periods of hospitalisation and increasing warfarin use have placed stress on community-based healthcare services to care for patients taking warfarin after hospital discharge, a high-risk period for these patients. A previous randomised controlled trial demonstrated that a post-discharge service of 4 home visits and point-of-care (POC) International Normalised Ratio (INR) testing by a trained pharmacist improved patients' outcomes. The current study aims to modify this previously trialled service model to implement and then evaluate a sustainable program to enable the smooth transition of patients taking warfarin from the hospital to community setting.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>The service will be trialled in 8 sites across 3 Australian states using a prospective, controlled cohort study design. Patients discharged from hospital taking warfarin will receive 2 or 3 home visits by a trained 'home medicines review (HMR)-accredited' pharmacist in their 8 to 10 days after hospital discharge. Visits will involve a HMR, comprehensive warfarin education, and POC INR monitoring in collaboration with patients' general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists. Patient outcomes will be compared to those in a control, or 'usual care', group. The primary outcome measure will be the proportion of patients experiencing a major bleeding event in the 90 days after discharge. Secondary outcome measures will include combined major bleeding and thromboembolic events, death, cessation of warfarin therapy, INR control at 8 days post-discharge and unplanned hospital readmissions from any cause. Stakeholder satisfaction will be assessed using structured postal questionnaire mailed to patients, GPs, community pharmacists and accredited pharmacists at the completion of their study involvement.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This study design incorporates several aspects of prior interventions that have been demonstrated to improve warfarin management, including POC INR testing, warfarin education and home visits by trained pharmacists. It faces several potential challenges, including the tight timeframe for patient follow-up in the post-discharge period. Its strengths lie in a strong multidisciplinary team and the utilisation of existing healthcare frameworks. It is hoped that this study will provide the evidence to support the national roll-out of the program as a new Australian professional community pharmacy service.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Number <a href="http://www.anzctr.org.au/trial_view.aspx?ID=82959">12608000334303</a>.</p

Development and validation of an oral anticoagulation knowledge tool (AKT)

© 2016 Obamiro et al.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Background Assessing and improving patients' anticoagulation knowledge can lead to better treatment outcomes.While validated knowledge instruments exist for use in people taking warfarin, these tools are not necessarily applicable to patients taking direct-acting oral anticoagulants. Objective To develop and validate an oral anticoagulation knowledge instrument that is applicable to all oral anticoagulant medications. Methods Ten anticoagulation experts participated in the development of the Anticoagulation Knowledge Tool to ensure content validity. The knowledge instrument was administered to three groups of participants comprising of 44 pharmacists, 50 patients and 50 members of the general public. A subgroup of participants in the patient and pharmacist group were retested approximately 2-3 months after the initial testing. Statistical tests were conducted to determine the validity and reliability of the scale, and item analysis was used to determine the performance of individual questions. Results The 28-item instrument developed had a scale content validity index of 0.92, supporting content validity. The pharmacist group's mean score was significantly higher than that of the patient group, and the patient group scored significantly higher than the general public group (94% vs 62% vs 20%, respectively; p&lt;0.001), supporting construct validity. Internal consistency reliability was acceptable with a Cronbach's a value of &gt; 0.7 across the three groups, and the test-retest reliability was confirmed with a Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.72 and 0.78 for the pharmacist and patient groups, respectively. Conclusion The Anticoagulation Knowledge Tool is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in routine clinical practice to assess patients' anticoagulation knowledge

Assessment of psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the oral anticoagulation knowledge test

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge (OAK) Test. METHODS: This study, conducted in an anticoagulation clinic, included 201 Brazilian participants aged over 18 years, who had been using warfarin for more than two months. The reliability of the instrument was evaluated by assessing internal consistency (Kuder-Richardson coefficient) and reproducibility (test-retest reliability). The validity was evaluated by hypothesizing that there would be a positive correlation of moderate to strong intensity between the correctness levels of the OAK Test and time within therapeutic range (TTR) values, which is a measure used to evaluate the quality of oral anticoagulation. RESULTS: The instrument exhibited good psychometric properties. The total a Kuder-Richardson coefficient value was 0.818 and intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.967. The validity revealed a strong positive correlation between the values of the level of knowledge, as measured by the OAK Test and the TTR values (r(s) = 0.780). CONCLUSION: The instrument proved to be a reliable and valid tool for evaluating the knowledge of Brazilian patients on oral anticoagulation therapy with warfarin. This instrument may be incorporated into the practice of health care for substantiating the structuring of educational activities to ensure the improvement of knowledge about the use of warfarin, thereby increasing the effectiveness and safety of treatment

Assessment of patients’ knowledge and practices regarding their medication use and risks in Lebanon

Background Patients’ knowledge of their medications play a pivotal role in their disease management. Objective Assess the knowledge and practices of Lebanese outpatients regarding their own medication use and risks. Setting Four hundred and sixty community pharmacies across Lebanon. Method It was a cross-sectional study performed from March through May 2016 among Lebanese outpatients, using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate all participants’ responses. The association between categorical variables were evaluated using Pearson χ2 test or Fisher’s exact test. Binary logistic regressions were performed to identify factors associated with medication patients’ knowledge and interest. Main outcome measure Ability of the patients to identify own medications’ elements: name, strength, dosage regimen, indication, and adverse drug reactions. Results Our study comprised 921 patients, with around 16% taking ≥5 medications/day. Around 56% of our patients showed sub-optimal medication knowledge. Patients’ higher educational level, number of chronic diseases, and patient physician interaction were associated with higher medication knowledge. Many patients admitted not discussing their medications each time they visit their physicians (38.7%); not reading the leaflet of each medication they take (61.2%); and not regularly asking their pharmacist about the potential interactions of OTC drugs with prescribed medications (53.9%). Conclusion This study showed suboptimal medication-related knowledge, and suboptimal patient’s interactions with primary care givers. Our findings serve as a platform for healthcare providers to understand patients’ needs and educate them about medication use and risks. © 2017, Springer International Publishing AG

EDUC’AVK: Reduction of Oral Anticoagulant-related Adverse Events After Patient Education: A Prospective Multicenter Open Randomized Study

International audienceBACKGROUND: Long-term oral anticoagulation treatment is associated with potential morbidity. Insufficient patient education is linked to poorly controlled anticoagulation. However the impact of a specific educational program on anticoagulation related morbidity remains unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of an oral anticoagulation patient education program in reducing both hemorrhagic and recurrent thrombotic complications. DESIGN/PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a prospective, multicenter open randomized study, comparing an interventional group who received a specific oral anticoagulation treatment educational program with a control group. Eligible patients were older than 18 and diagnosed as having deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism requiring therapy with a vitamin K antagonist for 3 months or more. Our primary outcome was the occurrence of hemorrhagic or thromboembolic events. RESULTS: During the 3-month follow-up the main outcome criteria were observed 20 times (6.6% of patients), 5 (3.1%) in the experimental and 15 (10.6%) in the control group. Consequently, in multivariate analysis, the cumulative risk reduction in the experimental group was statistically significant (OR 0.25, 95% CI 0.1 - 0.7, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Patient education using an educational program reduced VKA-related adverse event rates