This statement may surprise you, but it’s one of many inaccurate beliefs that may be held by your patients taking warfarin.
CADTH conducted a series of focus groups with patients and health professionals to learn more about current approaches to preventing stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients generally felt confident in their level of knowledge, but most did not know they were taking warfarin to prevent a stroke, and many attributed benefits or side effects to warfarin that were unlikely to be due to the drug.
- “If I am late taking it, I have noticed that my heart starts racing.”
- “When I got my warfarin, it dramatically improved my energy level.”
- “I find it makes me tired. After I take it, I’m just exhausted.”
Health care professionals recognized the importance of education for patients taking any anticoagulant, especially considering that adherence with anticoagulant therapy to prevent stroke is generally poor. However, many focus group participants expressed the belief that “education is a team effort,” and recognized that this may lead to an assumption that someone else is taking care of it.
Be sure to include ongoing patient and caregiver education in your structured care plan for patients taking any antithrombotic drug. Know who is responsible for patient and caregiver engagement at each point in the patient’s journey, and consider developing a standard checklist of what to cover.
Bottom line
- Many patients feel confident in their level of knowledge, but actually have a limited understanding of warfarin therapy.
- Ongoing patient education must be part of the care plan for any patient on anticoagulant drugs.