A comprehensive list of tools to implement the Anticoagulation Management System (AMS)
This project was funded under grant number U18 HS15830 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Community Anticoagulation Therapy (CAT) Clinic facilitates management of patients on warfarin and promotes the continual improvement of healthcare within our community. The clinic is staffed by a Registered Nurse with special knowledge and training in serving people who are taking Coumadin/warfarin. The CAT Clinic nurse works closely with other healthcare professionals to track and manage patients' Coumadin/warfarin intake.
For more information, or for permission to reprint materials on this page, please contact Carla Huber at the CAT Clinic.
STAFF EDUCATION MATERIAL
This tool provides anticoagulation management education for your staff. It can be used as initial education material or as an update.
Includes a test at the end of each unit (four units).
PATIENT EDUCATION MATERIAL
This tool is a booklet that can be used by your staff to education patients about warfarin therapy. The booklet is written at a fifth to sixth-grade reading level and utilizes health literacy guidelines. The booklet was tested with a group of elderly prior to release. The feedback from this group provided valuable information on improvements to the content and layout of the booklet.
MEASURING PATIENT COMPLIANCE
Compliance with any medication can be quite variable and difficult to assess. Assessment becomes particularly important in the case of a medication such as warfarin that has multiple interactions and requires frequent laboratory monitoring. Good compliance with medication dosage and blood test monitoring are necessary to safely manage warfarin patients. The CAT Clinic developed a tool that assigns points to categories called the "Warfarin Compliance Assessment Scale." The assessment scale provides the CAT Clinic with an objective way to measure a patient's compliance using this medication.