scholarly journals Treatment Patterns and Outcomes in a Nationwide Cohort of Older and Younger Veterans with Waldenström Macroglobulinemia, 2006–2019

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1708
Author(s):  
Hsu-Chih Chien ◽  
Deborah Morreall ◽  
Vikas Patil ◽  
Kelli M. Rasmussen ◽  
Christina Yong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Treatment Patterns ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Waldenström Macroglobulinemia ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia ◽  
Modern Era

Little is known about real-world treatment patterns and outcomes in Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) following the recent introduction of newer treatments, especially among older adults. We describe patterns of first-line (1 L) WM treatment in early (2006–2012) and modern (2013–2019) eras and report outcomes (overall response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and adverse event (AE)-related discontinuation) in younger (≤70 years) and older (>70 years) populations. We followed 166 younger and 152 older WM patients who received 1 L treatment between January 2006 and April 2019 in the Veterans Health Administration. Median follow-up was 43.5 months (range: 0.6–147.2 months). Compared to the early era, older patients in the modern era achieved improved ORRs (early: 63.8%, modern: 72.3%) and 41% lower risk of death/progression (hazard ratio (HR) for PFS: 0.59, 95% CI (confidence interval): 0.36–0.95), with little change in AE-related discontinuation between eras (HR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.4–1.7). In younger patients, the AE-related discontinuation risk increased almost fourfold (HR: 3.9, 95% CI: 1.1–14), whereas treatment effects did not change between eras (HR for OS: 1.4, 95% CI: 0.66–2.8; HR for PFS: 1.1, 95% CI: 0.67–1.7). Marked improvements in survival among older adults accompanied a profound shift in 1 L treatment patterns for WM.

scholarly journals Ixazomib, dexamethasone, and rituximab in treatment-naive patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia: long-term follow-up

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (16) ◽  
pp. 3952-3959
Author(s):  
Jorge J. Castillo ◽  
Kirsten Meid ◽  
Catherine A. Flynn ◽  
Jiaji Chen ◽  
Maria G. Demos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Median Time ◽  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Primary Treatment ◽  
Waldenström Macroglobulinemia ◽  
Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia ◽  
Mutational Status ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Treatment Naïve

Abstract Proteasome inhibition is a standard of care for the primary treatment of patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). We present the long-term follow-up of a prospective, phase II clinical trial that evaluated the combination of ixazomib, dexamethasone, and rituximab (IDR) in 26 treatment-naive patients with WM. IDR was administered as 6 monthly induction cycles followed by 6 every-2-month maintenance cycles. The MYD88 L265P mutation was detected in all patients, and CXCR4 mutations were detected in 15 patients (58%). The median time to response (TTR) and time to major response (TTMR) were 2 and 6 months, respectively. Patients with and without CXCR4 mutations had median TTR of 3 months and 1 month, respectively (P = .003), and median TTMR of 10 months and 3 months, respectively (P = .31). The overall, major, and very good partial response (VGPR) rates were 96%, 77%, and 19%, respectively. The rate of VGPR in patients with and without CXCR4 mutations were 7% and 36%, respectively (P = .06). The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 40 months, the median duration of response (DOR) was 38 months, and the median time to next treatment (TTNT) was 40 months. PFS, DOR, and TTNT were not affected by CXCR4 mutational status. The safety profile was excellent with no grade 4 adverse events or deaths to date. IDR provides a safe and effective frontline treatment option for symptomatic patients with WM. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02400437.

scholarly journals Long-term follow-up of ibrutinib monotherapy in treatment-naive patients with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia

Leukemia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge J. Castillo ◽  
Kirsten Meid ◽  
Joshua N. Gustine ◽  
Carly Leventoff ◽  
Timothy White ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Final Report ◽  
Minor Response ◽  
Upper Respiratory Infection ◽  
Waldenström Macroglobulinemia ◽  
Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia ◽  
Major Response ◽  
Treatment Naïve ◽  
A Minor

AbstractHerein, we present the final report of a single-center, prospective phase II study evaluating ibrutinib 420 mg once daily in 30 treatment-naive patients with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM). The present study is registered with ClinicalTrials.Gov (NCT02604511). With a median follow-up of 50 months, the overall, major, and VGPR response rates were 100%, 87%, and 30%. The VGPR rate was numerically but not significantly lower in patients with than without CXCR4 mutations (14% vs. 44%; p = 0.09). The median time to a minor response was 0.9 months, and to a major response was 1.9 months, though were longer in those with mutated CXCR4 at 1.7 months (p = 0.07) and 7.3 months (p = 0.01). Six patients had disease progression. The median progression-free survival (PFS) was not reached, and the 4-year PFS rate was 76%. There was also a non-significant lower 4-year PFS rate in patients with than without CXCR4 mutations (59% vs. 92%; p = 0.06). The most common treatment-related adverse events were fatigue, upper respiratory infection, and hematoma. Atrial fibrillation occurred in 20% of patients. Ibrutinib monotherapy induced durable responses in treatment-naive patients with WM. CXCR4 mutations impacted VGPR attainment, time to major response, and 4-year PFS rate.

scholarly journals Long-Term Follow-Up of Ibrutinib Monotherapy in Symptomatic, Previously Treated Patients With Waldenström Macroglobulinemia

2020 ◽  
pp. JCO.20.00555
Author(s):  
Steven P. Treon ◽  
Kirsten Meid ◽  
Joshua Gustine ◽  
Guang Yang ◽  
Lian Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Progression Free Survival ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
Immunoglobulin M ◽  
Waldenström Macroglobulinemia ◽  
Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia ◽  
Major Response ◽  
Previously Treated Patients ◽  
Previously Treated

PURPOSE We report the long-term findings and final analysis of a pivotal multicenter trial of ibrutinib monotherapy in previously treated patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-three symptomatic patients with median prior therapies of two (range, one to nine therapies), of whom 40% were refractory to their previous therapy, received ibrutinib at 420 mg/d. Dose reduction was permitted for toxicity. RESULTS The median follow-up was 59 months, and overall and major response rates were 90.5% and 79.4%, respectively. At best response, median serum immunoglobulin M declined from 3,520 to 821 mg/dL, bone marrow disease involvement declined from 60% to 20%, and hemoglobin rose from 10.3 to 14.2 g/dL ( P < .001 for all comparisons). Responses were impacted by mutated (Mut) MYD88 and CXCR4 status. Patients with MYD88Mut, wild-type (WT) CXCR4 showed higher major (97.2% v 68.2%; P < .0001) and very good partial (47.2% v 9.1%; P < .01) response rates and a shorter time to major response (1.8 v 4.7 months; P = .02) versus patients with MYD88Mut CXCR4Mut. Conversely, four patients who had MYD88WT disease showed no major responses. The median 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate for all patients was not reached, and was 70% and 38% for those with MYD88Mut CXCR4WT and MYD88Mut CXCR4Mut WM, respectively ( P = .02). In patients with MYD88WT, the median PFS was 0.4 years ( P < .01 for three-way comparisons). The 5-year overall survival rate for all patients was 87%. Grade ≥ 3 adverse events in more than one patient at least possibly related included neutropenia (15.9%), thrombocytopenia (11.1%), and pneumonia (3.2%). Eight patients (12.7%) experienced atrial arrhythmia, and seven of the eight continued therapy with medical management. CONCLUSION Ibrutinib is highly active and produces long-term disease control in previously treated patients with WM. Treatment is tolerable. Response depth, time to major response, and PFS are impacted by MYD88 and CXCR4 mutation status.

scholarly journals Comparable Overall Survival with Rituximab-Bendamustine (R-Benda) and Rituximab-Gemcitabine-Oxaliplatin (R-GemOx) When Used As Second-Line (2L) Treatment for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL): A Real-World Study Using US Veterans Health Administration Data

Blood ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1711-1711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raluca Ionescu-Ittu ◽  
Aijing Shang ◽  
Nancy Vander Velde ◽  
Annie Guérin ◽  
Yilu Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Treatment Patterns ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Analysis Group ◽  
Kaplan Meier

Abstract Introduction: DLBCL is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. R-CHOP (rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) is established as the standard of care for patients (pts) with previously untreated DLBCL, but ~40% of pts will eventually relapse. For relapsed/refractory pts who are ineligible for transplant, clinical guidelines propose a broad spectrum of therapeutic options. However, little is known about treatment patterns and outcomes associated with 2L therapy in routine practice, particularly for pts less suitable for intensive therapy. Therefore, using real-world data, we evaluated 2L treatment patterns in DLBCL pts and overall survival (OS) in those pts who received 2L R-Benda or R-GemOx. We focused on these 2 treatments as they are typically used in the non-transplant setting in pts less suitable for aggressive therapy, and can typically be administered in an outpatient setting. Methods: DLBCL pts receiving care from the US Veterans Health Administration were identified through their electronic medical records and raw oncology domain. Pts diagnosed with DLBCL (and no prior other types of malignancies) between 2004-2016, with ≥1-month follow-up and who received 2L treatment were included. OS (defined as time from the start of 2L therapy until death) was analyzed in pts who received 2L R-Benda or R-GemOx using the Kaplan-Meier method. Surviving pts were censored at data cutoff (December 31, 2017). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were undertaken to assess the impact of 2L treatment (in particular, R-GemOx vs R-Benda) on OS. Results: A total of 2600 DLBCL pts were identified: 2039 received 1L and 702 received 1L and 2L therapy. Among the 702 pts treated with 2L therapy, regimens included R-ICE (n=77; 11.0%), R-CHOP (n=75; 10.7%), rituximab monotherapy (n=34; 4.8%), R-Benda (n=32; 4.6%), methotrexate (n=24; 3.4%), R-ESHAP (n=23; 3.3%), R-DHAP/R-EPOCH/R-GDP (n=18; 2.6%), rituximab plus cyclophosphamide-doxorubicin-vinblastine-vincristine (n=14; 2.0%), R-CVP (n=11; 1.6%), rituximab plus cyclophosphamide-etoposide-vincristine (n=11; 1.6%), and R-GemOx (n=10; 1.4%). Of the remaining pts, 267 (38.0%) received regimens with agent(s) included in the NCCN guidelines, while 106 (15.1%) received regimens with at least 1 agent not guideline-recommended. Baseline characteristics for pts treated with 2L R-Benda (n=32) or R-GemOx (n=10) are shown in Table 1. There was an imbalance between the 2 cohorts with regard to race, number of involved lymph nodes, B symptoms, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and abnormal lactate dehydrogenase results. After 24 deaths in the R-Benda cohort and 7 deaths in the R-GemOx cohort, median OS was estimated at 11 and 13 months, respectively (Figure 1). Median follow-up time after start of 2L treatment was 11.3 and 11.7 months, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier curves of the 2 cohorts overlapped at multiple timepoints during follow-up. Respective 1-year OS rates (95% confidence interval [CI]) with R-Benda and R-GemOx were 50.0% (31.9%, 65.7%) and 60.0% (25.3%, 82.7%). Compared with R-Benda, R-GemOx did not significantly predict longer OS in either the univariate (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.94; 95% CI: 0.41, 2.19; p=0.893) or multivariate (HR: 1.07; 95% CI: 0.46, 2.50; p=0.873) analyses. Conclusions: This real-world study highlights the diversity of 2L treatment regimens used in DLBCL pts. There was no apparent difference in OS between R-Benda- and R-GemOx-treated pts and, with a median OS of approximately 1 year after 2L initiation with either regimen, there is clearly an unmet need in this setting. The main limitation of the study relates to the small sample size of each treatment cohort. Further research using other real-world data sources is warranted. Disclosures Ionescu-Ittu: Analysis Group, Inc.: Employment; F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy, Other: I am an employee of Analysis Group, Inc., which received consulting fees from Roche for the conduct of this study. Shang:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.: Employment, Other: Ownership interests non-PLC. Guérin:F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd: Other: I am an employee of Analysis Group, Inc., which received consulting fees from Roche for the conduct of this study; Analysis Group, Inc.: Employment. Shi:F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd: Research Funding; Bravo4Health: Other: Ownership interests non-PLC; Genentech: Research Funding; Chiasma: Research Funding; Intuitive Surgical: Consultancy. Shi:F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd: Other: I am an employee of Analysis Group, Inc., which received consulting fees from Roche for the conduct of this study; Analysis Group, Inc.: Employment. Qayum:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Employment.

scholarly journals Military-related risk factors in female veterans and risk of dementia

Neurology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (3) ◽  
pp. e205-e211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Yaffe ◽  
Sandy J. Lwi ◽  
Tina D. Hoang ◽  
Feng Xia ◽  
Deborah E. Barnes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
The United States ◽  
Female Veterans ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Related Risk

ObjectiveTo determine whether diagnoses of traumatic brain injury (TBI), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression, alone or in combination, increase dementia risk among older female veterans.MethodsThis cohort study included data from 109,140 female veterans ≥55 years of age receiving care from Veterans Health Administration medical centers in the United States between October 2004 and September 2015 with at least 1 follow-up visit. TBI, PTSD, depression, and medical conditions at study baseline and incident dementia were determined according to ICD-9-CM codes. Fine-Gray proportional hazards models were used to determine the association between military-related risk factors and dementia diagnosis, accounting for the competing risk of death.ResultsDuring follow-up (mean 4.0 years, SD 2.3), 4% of female veterans (n = 4,125) developed dementia. After adjustment for demographics and medical conditions, women with TBI, PTSD, and depression had a significant increase in risk of developing dementia compared to women without these diagnoses (TBI-adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [adjusted sHR] 1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01–2.20; PTSD adjusted sHR 1.78, 95% CI 1.34–2.36; and depression-adjusted sHR 1.67, 95% CI 1.55–1.80), while women with >1 diagnosis had the highest risk for dementia (adjusted sHR 2.15, 95% CI 1.84–2.51).ConclusionsWe found that women with military-related risk factors had an ≈50% to 80% increase in developing dementia relative to women without these diagnoses, while female veterans with multiple risk factors had a >2-fold risk of developing dementia. These findings highlight the need for increased screening of TBI, PTSD, and depression in older women, especially female veterans.

scholarly journals Telehealth Competencies for Interprofessional Teams Caring for Older Adults and Care Partners

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 796-796
Author(s):  
Becky Powers ◽  
Kathryn Nearing ◽  
Studi Dang ◽  
William Hung ◽  
Hillary Lum
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Delivery Of Care ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Evaluation Measures ◽  
Interprofessional Teams ◽  
Care Partners

Abstract Providing interprofessional geriatric care via telehealth is a unique clinical skillset that differs from providing face-to-face care. The lack of clear guidance on telehealth best practices for providing care to older adults and their care partners has created a systems-based practice educational gap. For several years, GRECC Connect has provided interprofessional telehealth visits to older adults, frequently training interprofessional learners in the process. Using our interprofessional telehealth expertise, the GRECC Connect Education Workgroup created telehealth competencies for the delivery of care to older adults and care partners for interprofessional learners. Competencies incorporate key telehealth, interprofessional and geriatric domains, and were informed by diverse stakeholders within the Veterans Health Administration. During this symposium, comments will be solicited from attendees. Once finalized, these competencies will drive the development of robust curricula and evaluation measures aimed at training the next generation of interprofessional providers to expertly care for older adults via telehealth.

scholarly journals Outcomes of Primary Care for People With Dementia: What’s Important?

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 164-165
Author(s):  
Laura Wray ◽  
Bonnie Vest ◽  
Laura Brady ◽  
Christina Vair ◽  
Gregory Beehler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Primary Care Teams ◽  
Care Outcomes

Abstract People with dementia (PWD) typically receive most of their healthcare in primary care (PC), but neurocognitive disorders can be challenging to recognize, assess, and manage in that setting. As a result, cognitive impairment in older adults is often missed or not addressed until later stages. The result is poor management of comorbid health conditions, increased healthcare utilization, and negative outcomes for the patient and family. Further, strategies for improvement and barriers to high quality PC for PWD have received limited attention. To improve PC for PWD, it is essential to understand what care outcomes should be targeted. To address this gap, we used a qualitative approach to examine potential outcomes of PC from the perspectives of older adults, family caregivers, primary care teams, and geriatrics specialists (n=79) from two Veterans Health Administration healthcare systems. Participants were interviewed individually or in focus groups. A directed content analysis based on the adapted Donabedian model was employed and expanded to fully capture transcript content. Three main categories of outcomes were identified: Personhood (i.e., independence), Physical Health and Safety, and Quality of Life. Regardless of participant type, respondents focused on similar desired outcomes and, notably, identified outcomes as important for both patients and their broader social context (i.e., caregivers, family). Discussion will: show how findings align with work conducted in specialty and residential care; describe how challenges to attaining these outcomes in PC can be overcome; and, challenge cognitive screening recommendations for PC that are based primarily on risk/benefit analysis of medication-focused outcomes.

scholarly journals Associations between stopping prescriptions for opioids, length of opioid treatment, and overdose or suicide deaths in US veterans: observational evaluation

BMJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. m283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth M Oliva ◽  
Thomas Bowe ◽  
Ajay Manhapra ◽  
Stefan Kertesz ◽  
Jennifer M Hah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Opioid Analgesic ◽  
Veterans Health Administration ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Opioid Treatment ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Length Of Treatment ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Stopping Treatment

Abstract Objective To examine the associations between stopping treatment with opioids, length of treatment, and death from overdose or suicide in the Veterans Health Administration. Design Observational evaluation. Setting Veterans Health Administration. Participants 1 394 102 patients in the Veterans Health Administration with an outpatient prescription for an opioid analgesic from fiscal year 2013 to the end of fiscal year 2014 (1 October 2012 to 30 September 2014). Main outcome measures A multivariable Cox non-proportional hazards regression model examined death from overdose or suicide, with the interaction of time varying opioid cessation by length of treatment (≤30, 31-90, 91-400, and >400 days) as the main covariates. Stopping treatment with opioids was measured as the time when a patient was estimated to have no prescription for opioids, up to the end of the next fiscal year (2014) or the patient’s death. Results 2887 deaths from overdose or suicide were found. The incidence of stopping opioid treatment was 57.4% (n = 799 668) overall, and based on length of opioid treatment was 32.0% (≤30 days), 8.7% (31-90 days), 22.7% (91-400 days), and 36.6% (>400 days). The interaction between stopping treatment with opioids and length of treatment was significant (P<0.001); stopping treatment was associated with an increased risk of death from overdose or suicide regardless of the length of treatment, with the risk increasing the longer patients were treated. Hazard ratios for patients who stopped opioid treatment (with reference values for all other covariates) were 1.67 (≤30 days), 2.80 (31-90 days), 3.95 (91-400 days), and 6.77 (>400 days). Descriptive life table data suggested that death rates for overdose or suicide increased immediately after starting or stopping treatment with opioids, with the incidence decreasing over about three to 12 months. Conclusions Patients were at greater risk of death from overdose or suicide after stopping opioid treatment, with an increase in the risk the longer patients had been treated before stopping. Descriptive data suggested that starting treatment with opioids was also a risk period. Strategies to mitigate the risk in these periods are not currently a focus of guidelines for long term use of opioids. The associations observed cannot be assumed to be causal; the context in which opioid prescriptions were started and stopped might contribute to risk and was not investigated. Safer prescribing of opioids should take a broader view on patient safety and mitigate the risk from the patient’s perspective. Factors to address are those that place patients at risk for overdose or suicide after beginning and stopping opioid treatment, especially in the first three months.

Abstract 137: Anticoagulation clinic provider’s perspective on management of patients on target specific oral anticoagulants: insights from the Veterans Affairs Health Care System

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Supriya Shore ◽  
P. Michael Ho ◽  
Anne Lambert-Kerzner ◽  
Fran Cunningham ◽  
Madeline McCarren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Side Effects ◽  
Patient Adherence ◽  
Comparative Method ◽  
Oral Anticoagulants ◽  
Anticoagulation Clinic ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
High Performing

Background: Patients on target specific anticoagulants (TSOACs) such as dabigatran do not require routine laboratory testing and dose adjustment. In the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), anticoagulation clinics (ACCs) may elect to follow and manage patients on TSOACs, but whether it is needed or the optimal duration of follow-up is unknown. Our objective was to assess the perspective of anticoagulation clinic providers on follow-up care for dabigatran patients and to identify site-level practices associated with improved adherence to dabigatran. Methods: We ascertained ACC providers’ perspectives through semi-structured interviews by a single, trained internist. Purposive sampling was utilized to recruit senior ACC providers or supervisors at VHA sites with over 20 patients on dabigatran. We stratified sites into high and low performing sites based on whether sites had ≥ 75% of their patients adherent, based on a proportion-of-days-covered calculation. Data from the interviews was analyzed by 2 reviewers in an iterative process to identify recurrent and unifying themes. Constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis was used to identify best practices across various sites. Results: We interviewed ACC providers from 39 sites - including 18 providers at 16 high-performing sites and 25 providers at 23 low-performing sites. Follow-up practices for dabigatran varied across sites, with 6 sites not providing any follow-up, 14 sites following-up patients for less than 3 months, 9 sites following-up patients for 6 months, and 10 sites following-up patients indefinitely. During these follow-up visits, patients were contacted at regular intervals, mostly via telephone, by ACC providers to provide education, assess side-effects and adherence. Key strategies implemented at high-performing sites compared to low-performing sites included (1) examining adherence to other twice daily medications prior to approving dabigatran (2) education of patients by ACC providers prior to dabigatran initiation (3) continued telephone follow up by ACC staff despite no need for INR checks. Over a third of ACC providers expressed concerns regarding patient adherence to dabigatran. Most common reasons for this concern included its special storage requirements and high incidence of gastrointestinal side effects leading to high discontinuation rates. Conclusion: Dedicated follow-up of patients on dabigatran is associated with improved adherence. A multi-disciplinary approach involving anti-coagulation clinic providers to provide education and follow-up may be beneficial in management of TSOACs. Future work should compare the apparent benefit of this strategy with its non-trivial cost.

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