Science and Nature news
A study from the University of Michigan shows that using an online dashboard can help doctors and pharmacists give the correct dose of blood thinners, reducing the risk of blood clots and strokes.
The tool, created by the Veterans Health Administration, was used to review over 120,000 patient cases to ensure proper dosing of commonly used blood thinners.
The study found that 6.9% to 8.6% of patients got wrong prescriptions for blood thinners. Using the new electronic tool reduced incorrect dosing by about 8%. Also, it lowered the rate of blood clots and strokes at hospitals that used it. The findings are published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Dr. Geoffrey Barnes noted that while DOACs are crucial for treating blood clot conditions, incorrect dosing can cause serious harm.
The study shows that using a management tool can cut down on inappropriate prescribing and reduce complications like stroke and clots. Errors in DOAC prescriptions can happen up to 20% of the time.
Hospitals that used the new system for a longer time saw a more significant drop in incorrect prescribing. In Michigan, a similar system called the Michigan Anticoagulation Quality Improvement Initiative is used by five hospitals, including the University of Michigan Health.
The study highlights that using an online dashboard to manage blood thinner prescriptions significantly reduced incorrect dosing and, as a result, lowered the risk of blood clots and strokes.
Barnes said, “This study provides one of the most significant and most impactful evaluations of an anticoagulation stewardship effort to show a reduction in adverse clinical events.”
“Health systems and policymakers should consider investing in anticoagulation stewardship efforts that support pharmacists in reviewing and correcting off-label direct oral anticoagulant dosing for the benefit of millions of patients who take these medications.” He added
Journal reference :
- Geoffrey D. Barnes, Charity Chen, et al., Pharmacist Use of a Population Management Dashboard for Safe Anticoagulant Prescribing: Evaluation of a Nationwide Implementation Effort. Journal of American Heart Association. DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.124.035859.
