The Safety of Anticoagulants

The WHO 5-year challenge to improve the safe use of medicines asks for improved shared decision making so that patients and carers are encouraged to ask questions about their medications and health and care professionals actively support patients and carers in making these decisions. The medical use of anticoagulants is complicated. For example, there are differing approaches to the perioperative period, dosing confusion with extremes of weight, failure to recognise the acronyms NOAC/DOAC and serious consequences from medication omission and delay, which are reflected in error reports to the National Reporting and Learning System. This presentation provides an overview of the known problems facing patients, pharmacists and pharmacy technician as they seek to optimise the safe use of these medicines. It suggests how this may be taken forward by the WHO Challenge.

Learning Points:

1. Appreciate the intent of the current WHO 5-year Challenge on medication safety
2. Understanding the known challenges of optimising anticoagulant medicines use
3. Know of and appreciate the existing guidance to promote the safe use of anticoagulant medicines