Pharmacists' confidence when providing pharmaceutical care on anticoagulants, a multinational survey.
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- Papastergiou J; Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M4J 1L2, Canada.; School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, 755 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, ON, M4J 1L2, Canada.; Kheir N; College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.; Ladova K; Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovskeho 1203, 500 05, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.; Rydant S; Pharmaceutical Care Division (Meduca), Royal Pharmacists Association of Antwerp (KAVA), Lange Leemstraat 187, 2018, Antwerpen, Belgium.; De Rango F; Shoppers Drug Mart 1271, 2501 Third Line, Oakville, ON, L6M 5A9, Canada.; Antoniou S; Barts Health Centre; Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK.; UCL Partners, London, UK.; Viola R; Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, Szikrautca 8, Szeged, 6724, Hungary.; Murillo MD; Farmacia Fernández Vega C.B., C/Par nº 26 Urbanización Club de Golf. Alcalá de Guadaira, Sevilla, 41500, Spain.; Steurbaut S; Research Group Clinical Pharmacology& Clinical Pharmacy (KFAR), Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 101, 1090, Brussels, Belgium.; da Costa FA; Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Campus Universitário, Quinta da Granja, Monte da Caparica, 2829-551, Caparica, Portugal. filipa.alvesdacosta@ipact.org.; Portuguese Pharmaceutical Society (PPS), Rua da Sociedade Farmacêutica, 18, 1169-075, Lisboa, Portugal. filipa.alvesdacosta@ipact.org.
- Source
- Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: Netherlands NLM ID: 101554912 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 2210-7711 (Electronic) NLM ISO Abbreviation: Int J Clin Pharm Subsets: MEDLINE
- Subject
- Language
- English
Background Guidelines on the management of orally anticoagulated patients are continuously evolving, leading to an increased need for pharmacists to be fully integrated in care provision. Objective To identify self-reported gaps in confidence among practicing pharmacists in the area of anticoagulation. Setting Pharmacists in different work settings in different countries. Method Cross-sectional international survey from October 2015 till November 2016 among pharmacists working in different settings to assess their level of confidence when delivering anticoagulants as well as to identify possible educational needs regarding this medication class. Validation of the survey was ensured. Results Responses from 4212 pharmacists originating from 18 countries were obtained. Pharmacists' level of confidence was significantly higher (p < 0.001) when advising patients on vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) versus non-vitamin K antagonists (NOACs). In general, hospital pharmacists displayed higher confidence levels compared to community pharmacists when advising patients on anticoagulation (p < 0.001). Two distinct patterns of confidence levels emerged relating to basic and advanced pharmaceutical care. Confidence levels when providing advanced pharmaceutical care were significantly higher for Oceania and lower for South America (p < 0.005). Conclusions Pharmacists felt more confident in supporting patients receiving VKAs compared to the more recently introduced NOACs. With the increasing use of NOACs and the risks pertaining to anticoagulation therapy, it is essential to invest in education for pharmacists to address their knowledge gaps enabling them to confidently support patients receiving oral anticoagulants.