[Evaluation of an education program for patients taking oral anticoagulants: Experience of the GRANTED network in Isère].
BACKGROUND
The guidelines for good clinical practices issued by the French Agency for Health and Drug Safety and the Superior Health Authority are designed to improve management of oral anticoagulants which can be an important source of iatrogenic morbidity. These guidelines have focused on the need for special education. The GRANTED network in Isère developed an education program for patients taking oral anticoagulants.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to evaluate quantitatively the therapeutic education of these patients taking oral anticoagulation, irrespective of their risk factor(s).


METHODS
This was a retrospective analysis of 100 randomly selected patients taking oral anticoagulants for at least three months who participated in the GRANTED education program in 2007. The evaluation criterion was the number of hemorrhagic and/or thromboembolic events.


RESULTS
Among the 97 patients contacted, 3.1% had a serious hemorrhagic event and 1.03% a recurrent thromboembolic event.


CONCLUSIONS
The quality of a scientific study depends on the quality of the methodology, leading to a preference for prospective studies. It would nevertheless be pertinent to determine whether or not official management recommendations are applied correctly in real life conditions. We report a first evaluation of a therapeutic education program designed for patients taking oral anticoagulants. The education program within the GRANTED network has enabled a reduction in the iatrogenic morbidity related to oral anticoagulation despite the selection bias of the probably high-risk population enrolled in the GRANTED network.
Blaise
S
S
GRANTED, réseau Ville-Hôpital Sud-Isère des pathologies vasculaires, Grenoble, France. SBlaise@chu-grenoble.fr
Satger
B
B
Fontaine
M
M
Yver
J
J
Rastel
D
D
Toffin
L
L
Seinturier
C
C
Ramos
M
M
Bosson
J-L
JL
Pernod
G
G
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003374:Coumarins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005602:France; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012494:Sampling Studies; D015983:Selection Bias; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000925:Anticoagulants; D003374:Coumarins