Discrepancies between medication records of anticoagulation clinics and pharmacy records.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether there were discrepancies between with coumarin anticoagulants interacting medications recorded in medical files of anticoagulation clinics (AC-records) and computerized records of community pharmacies (pharmacy records).


METHODS
A descriptive study was conducted at two Dutch anticoagulation clinics (AC's). Records of with coumarin anticoagulants interacting drugs at the AC's were compared with the pharmacy records. A drug registered in the pharmacy records but not in the AC-records, was recorded as a discrepancy, while a drug registered in AC-records as well as in pharmacy records, was recorded as a match.


RESULTS
Of the 117 identified interacting drugs registered in pharmacy records 32 (27%) were not registered in the AC-records. In four out of seven patients of whom the use of a pharmacokinetically interacting drug was not registered in the AC-records, several INR-values exceeded the upper therapeutic range.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrates that a substantial percentage of drugs of which an interaction with coumarin anticoagulants can be expected, is not registered in the medical files of anticoagulation clinics.
Schalekamp
Tom
T
Department of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacotherapy, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands. t.schalekamp@pharm.uu.nl
Smit
Carolien
C
van Geest-Daalderop
Johanna H H
JH
de Vries-Goldschmeding
Hanneke
H
de Boer
Anthonius
A
D000368:Aged; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D004347:Drug Interactions; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D019934:International Normalized Ratio; D008499:Medical Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017891:Pharmacoepidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012042:Registries
D000925:Anticoagulants