title: Patient satisfaction with point-of-care international normalized ratio testing and counseling in a community internal medicine practice.
abstract: Point-of-care international normalized ratio (POC INR) testing is increasingly used to monitor anticoagulant therapy. This study assessed patient satisfaction with registered nurse--managed POC INR testing in a primary care internal medicine practice. One hundred eighty-seven of the first 216 (87%) patients using the program responded to the survey. The respondents were surveyed for satisfaction after they had experienced the nurse-managed POC INR system at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, for one month. Eighty-eight percent of patients indicated that they were very satisfied or satisfied with the POC INR system. The authors conclude that nurse-managed POC INR testing is quick, convenient, less painful, and more satisfying for patients compared with traditional venipuncture and telephone follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Division of Community Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
authors.forename: Rajeev
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chaudhry
authors.forename: Sidna M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Scheitel
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stroebel
authors.forename: Paula J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Santrach
authors.forename: Denise M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Dupras
authors.forename: Eric G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Tangalos
mesh_terms: D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003376:Counseling; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine; D019934:International Normalized Ratio; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants