One-third of patients don't retain important warfarin info

(HealthDay)—Just over two-thirds of patients retain an "acceptable" amount of key information following warfarin counseling, according to a small study published online Aug. 6 in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research.

Nashwa Masnoon, B.Pharm., from the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia, and colleagues evaluated the extent to which 22 patients retained information after counseling from a clinical pharmacist about the anticoagulant warfarin. The authors used assessments immediately after counseling and six weeks after counseling. Participants newly initiated warfarin in the hospital, had intact cognition, and were expected to self-administer warfarin after discharge.

The researchers found that participants recalled an average of 79.9 percent of key information elements immediately after counseling, which was significantly higher than that seen at six weeks after counseling (71.0 percent; P = 0.02). The proportion of participants achieving an "acceptable" score for knowledge was 68.2 percent at the immediate assessment and six weeks later. Six weeks after counseling, there were no significant relationships seen between specific case characteristics and patient outcomes, duration of counseling, or overall warfarin knowledge retention scores.

"These findings imply that more emphasis should be placed on educating patients on the critical information elements for warfarin counseling," the authors write.