Background:
Due to the difficulty and complexity in managing warfarin, anticoagulation clinics must provide adequate patient education to ensure patient safety. Nevertheless, strategies to educate anticoagulation patients vary widely. We intend to describe the self-reported educational practices of anticoagulation clinics across the United States.
Methods:
A 31-question online survey was sent to all members of the Anticoagulation Forum, a network of healthcare providers who work in the field of thromboembolic disease. 264 unique clinics responded to the survey. Each reported question had at least 244 responses. Descriptive statistics are reported.
Results:
Most clinics provide general education through reading materials (92%) and in-person interactions (89%). Few clinics educate by means of video (27%), website (17%), and other methods (8%). Pharmacists (PharmDs) and nurses (RNs) combine to provide the majority (80%) of general anticoagulation education. 39% and 24% of clinics reported that PharmDs and RNs, respectively, provide almost all (>90%) of the general education. 36% and 24% of clinics reported that PharmDs and RNs, respectively, provide almost all (>90%) of the dietary education. 3.3% of all clinics reported that dieticians provides more than 30% of all dietary education. 90% of clinics use literature and 84% of clinics use personal teaching methods to educate their patients on diet. The provider is typically PharmDs and RNs, as they combine for 78% of all dietary education provided by the clinics. In addition to dietary education, 71% of clinics reported using dietary changes to control out-of-range INR values.
Conclusion:
This national survey illustrates the diversity in providers of patient education among anticoagulation clinics. Dietary education was only minimally provided by registered dieticians. Traditional materials are primarily used with few clinics utilizing web-based education. The majority of clinics reported using dietary changes in addition to warfarin dose changes to manage out-of-range INR values. Exploring these differing provider strategies and tools may be useful in developing a more structured and effective anticoagulation educational plan.