Evaluation of patients’ warfarin knowledge and outcomes following secondary warfarin education (in an outpatient setting) compared with standard inpatient education, as measured by the Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge test.

In patients newly commenced on warfarin for any indication, does additional outpatient education compared to standard inpatient education improve patients' knowledge of warfarin and anticoagulation control, as measured by the Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge (OAK) test and International Normalised Ratio (INR) control.

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12615000429550

Enrollment

Registered

2015-05-06

Start date

2014-02-10

Completion date

2014-08-27

Last updated

2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

This study aims to examine the impact of extra education on patients' warfarin knowledge and anticoagulation control. Who is it for? You may be eligible to join this study if you are aged 18 years or above who has been admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and newly commenced on warfarin. Study details Participants in this study will be randomly allocated (by chance) to one of two groups. Participants in one group will receive the standard hospital warfarin education, delivered by pharmacists. Participants in the other group, in addition to the hospital education, will receive an extra hour of warfarin education once they have left hospital. This will be delivered by the primary investigators. All participants will be asked to complete a 20 question multiple choice test to assess their knowledge of warfarin 6 weeks after they have left hospital. We also ask participants for permission to collect their INR data to check their warfarin control. It is hoped that this project will provide guidance as to whether we need to do more to educate patients about their warfarin therapy, or whether the education system we have in place currently is sufficient.

Interventions

Patients receive a 1 hour education session delivered by the primary researchers, as an outpatient. This includes a powerpoint presentation and a worksheet covering the basics of warfarin - how it works, indications, its purpose, practicalities for taking warfarin and testing INR, frequency of INR testing, interactions with drugs and diet, and major side of effects of warfarin (including when to seek help). The session occurs within 2 weeks of the patient leaving hospital.

Study design

Allocation

Randomised controlled trial

Intervention model

Parallel

Primary purpose

Educational / counselling / training

Masking

Blinded (masking used) (Investigator)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Newly commenced on warfarin (any indication) 2. Inpatient at Royal Melbourne Hospital 3. Age greater than or equal to 18 years old

Exclusion criteria

1. Duration of warfarin therapy <6 weeks 2. Non English speaking background with no available family translator 3. Prior warfarin therapy 4. Pregnancy 5. Moderate to severe cognitive impairment, defined as an Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS) of 6 or less 6. Discharged to residential or nursing care, as warfarin was unlikely to be self-managed 7. Health professionals with prior knowledge of warfarin

Outcome results