Pharmacist Managed Anticoagulation vs Usual Care
Author Information
Author(s): Stephanie Young, Lisa Bishop, Laurie Twells, Carla Dillon, John Hawboldt, Patrick O'Shea
Primary Institution: Memorial University
Hypothesis
Does pharmacist-managed anticoagulation lead to better INR control compared to usual physician care?
Conclusion
Pharmacist-managed anticoagulation programs achieve significantly better INR control than usual physician care.
Supporting Evidence
- The TTR was 73% for the PC group compared to 65% for the UC group.
- The expanded TTR for PC was 91% and 85% for UC.
- Patients in the PC group spent less time with INR values <1.5 compared to the UC group.
Takeaway
Having a pharmacist manage blood-thinning medication helps keep patients' blood levels in the right range better than when doctors do it alone.
Methodology
A retrospective cohort study comparing INR control in patients managed by a pharmacist versus those managed by family physicians.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias due to the retrospective nature of the study.
Limitations
The study design did not control for confounding factors such as time spent with patients and education provided.
Participant Demographics
The PC group had 55% males with a mean age of 67 years; the UC group had 51% males with a mean age of 71 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.0001
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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