The US Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a new publication, Your Guide to Coumadin/Warfarin Therapy. The publication is described as a 20-page, easy-to-read patient brochure explaining what patients should expect from, and watch out for, while undergoing Coumadin/warfarin therapy.
The brochure was developed through one of AHRQ's Partnership for Implementing Patient Safety grant projects at Kirkwood Community College. The purpose of PIPS grants is to assist consumers, clinicians and healthcare institutions in implementing safe practices that may eliminate or reduce medical errors, risks, hazards and harms associated with healthcare processes.
According to the latest data from AHRQ, more than 3.8 million Americans were taking Coumadin/warfarin at an estimated cost of nearly $963 million in 2005. Warfarin is a blood thinner that is used to help prevent blood clots that can cause a stroke, heart attack or other serious conditions. Clinicians sometimes prescribe it for other uses as well, and the booklet is intended to help patients who have been prescribed the drug to use it as safely as possible.
The AHRQ brochure, available online at http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/coumadin.htm, seeks to educate patients about their medication therapy and potentially dangerous side effects; explains how to communicate effectively with their healthcare providers; and provides tips for lifestyle modifications. It also provides information on remembering when to take the medicine and learning to stay safe while taking the medicine. Additionally, patients are instructed on maintaining a consistent diet and alerting healthcare providers to concurrent drugs and/or supplements patients are taking to avoid any potential adverse interactions.
