BackgroundAnticoagulants are major contributors to preventable adverse drug events, and their optimal management in the periprocedural period is particularly challenging. Traditional methods of disseminating clinical guidelines and tools cannot keep pace with the rapid expansion of available therapeutic agents, approved indications for use, and published medical evidence, so a mobile app, Management of Anticoagulation in the Periprocedural Period (MAPPP), was developed and disseminated to provide clinicians with guidance that reflects the most current medical evidence.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to assess the global, national, and state-level acquisition of a mobile app since its initial release and characterize individual episodes of use based on drug selection, procedural bleeding risk, and patient thromboembolic risk.MethodsData were extracted from a mobile app usage tracker (Google Analytics) to characterize new users and completed episodes temporally (by calendar quarter) and geographically (globally, nationally, and in the targeted US state of New York) for the period between April 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017.ResultsThe app was acquired by 2866 new users in the measurement period, and the users completed nearly 10,000 individual episodes of use. Acquisition and utilization spanned 51 countries globally, predominantly in the United States and particularly in New York State. Warfarin and rivaroxaban were the most frequently selected drugs, and completed episodes most frequently included the selection of high bleeding risk (4888/9963, 49.06%) and high thromboembolic risk categories (4500/9963, 45.17%).ConclusionsThe MAPPP app is a successful means of disseminating current guidance on periprocedural anticoagulant use, as indicated by broad global uptake and upward trends in utilization. Limitations in access to provider and patient-specific data preclude objective evaluation of the clinical impact of the app. An ongoing study incorporating app logic into electronic health record systems at participant health systems will provide a more definitive evaluation of the clinical impact of the app logic.

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This article describes the medication reconciliation process applied on hospital discharge of patients to home with home care services within Seton Health System, an integrated health delivery network located in Troy, New York. The project, which was not research based, was characterized by an intensive pharmacotherapeutic medication reconciliation at hospital discharge by the hospital-based pharmacist with continued pharmacist support available to home healthcare nurses collaboratively at the time of start of care and resumption of care. The goal of this process was to identify and resolve medication-related problems and reduce hospital readmissions.

Appropriate perioperative management of patients on chronic oral anticoagulation (OAC)—including warfarin and the direct oral anticoagulants—is a poorly defined yet important clinical issue with potentially severe consequences in the postoperative period. We sought to prospectively evaluate the effect of the Management of Anticoagulation in the Periprocedural Period (MAPPP) mobile app as a clinical decision tool in the management of patients on chronic OAC undergoing elective procedures or surgeries. Between January 1, 2018, and January 31, 2019, 642 patients treated in our health system were included. Eligible patients met the following criteria: age >18 years old, creatinine clearance ≥15 mL/min, and on chronic OAC with adequate information regarding baseline characteristics. Our study outcome was patient’s emergency department (ED) visits within 30 days postprocedure. The MAPPP app was integrated into the electronic health record (EHR), and the end user was free to accept or decline recommended evidence-based perioperative anticoagulation management guidance. Analysis revealed that acceptance was more common in younger patients ( P = .0137), patients on oral anticoagulants other than warfarin ( P < .0001), and patients undergoing increased bleeding risk procedures ( P = .0068). Acceptance of the MAPPP app recommendation was significantly associated with fewer ED visits (acceptance group: 4.0% vs rejection group: 8.3%, P = .0205). Logistic regression showed that intervention acceptance and female gender were significantly associated with fewer—while age ≥80 with more—30-day ED visits. Our findings indicate that newer technologies, such as the MAPPP app, integrated into clinical EHR workflow, can significantly augment evidence-based perioperative anticoagulation management and potentially result in a reduction of adverse outcomes.

Anticoagulation management was suboptimal at baseline, and improvements were not seen despite repeated attempts to implement a structured, sequential intervention. Long-term care facilities may be unwilling or unable to voluntarily implement known best practices for anticoagulation management, suggesting that changes to regulations and reimbursement systems may be warranted.