The role of the clinical pharmacist in patient education and monitoring of patients under warfarin treatment

Abstract

This study was carried out on patients who were under anticoagulation treatment with warfarin, at the outpatient cardiology clinic. The aim was to determine the effectiveness of pharmacist consultation, education, and intervention on each patient's therapeutic results. A cross-sectional randomized trial has been done. Twenty-five patients were included in the study. The Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge (OAK) Test, Short Form-36 (SF-36) and Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Scale (DASS) were applied. Patients resumed their routine anticoagulation treatment and INR and complications were recorded during the study. Additionally, patients received patient education, consultation on lifestyle and anticoagulant usage issues from a pharmacist. The same tests were applied again to the patients on the 90th day of the study and the results were compared with the initial test. Maintenance of INR within the target range and complication rates were compared before and after the intervention. Pre-test and post-test results of the patients revealed statistically significant improvements on the physical and mental score components of the SF-36 (p = 0.001; p = 0.001), OAK test scores (p ≤ 0.001) and the (negative) "limitations" and "burdens" and "positive effects" components of the DASS (p = 0.005; p < 0.001; p = 0.001). The successful maintenance of INR within target range was significantly higher (p = 0.027). The positive effects of pharmacist consultation and education on therapeutic results were demonstrated.

Pharmacy practice in hospital settings in GCC countries: Prescribing and transcribing

“…As anticoagulants are one of the leading causes of drug related adverse events and are considered high alert medications ( Shehab et al, 2016 ), additional measures should be considered to ensure safe utilization of these medications. It has been reported that pharmacists play an important role in the dosing, monitoring, and education of anticoagulation therapy ( Izzettin et al, 2019 ). A Saudi-based study concluded that implementation of the pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinic had a positive impact on patient care ( Dib et al, 2014 ).…”

Assessment of knowledge and counseling practice of warfarin among pharmacists in UAE: A cross-sectional study

“…In conclusion, pharmacist interventions within warfarin management process, through counseling and education, were found to create good outcomes in patients' quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and level of awareness regarding their treatment, as well as better therapeutic outcomes and reduced risk of complications. 8 The objectives of the study are to evaluate the pharmacological knowledge about warfarin among community and hospital pharmacists in UAE, to evaluate the appropriate counseling practices of warfarin among community and hospital pharmacists in UAE, and to compare between community and hospital pharmacists regarding knowledge and counseling practices of warfarin in UAE.…”

“…In conclusion, pharmacist interventions within warfarin management process, through counseling and education, were found to create good outcomes in patients’ quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and level of awareness regarding their treatment, as well as better therapeutic outcomes and reduced risk of complications. 8 …”