There are considerable drawbacks to oral anticoagulant for monitoring patients at home which should lead family physicians to discuss alternative or enhanced solutions: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

INR (International Normalized Ratio) is the biological reference test for the monitoring of vitamin K antagonist (VKA) therapy. Overdosage of VKAs causes about 17,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths each year in France. To avoid these complications, monitoring and blood sampling conditions must be rigorous. In France, more than half of INRs are carried out at home. The aim was to determine blood-sampling conditions at home, transit time and the quality of the laboratory reagents used.

Method

Questionnaire-based, descriptive epidemiological cross-sectional prevalence study involving home care nurses, family physicians (FPs) and clinical laboratories.

Setting

Brittany, France, 2008. Study of the pre-analytical phase of INRs sampled at home and its influence

SUBMITTER: Le Reste JY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3846900 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature