Workshop: Credentialing of Anticoagulation Providers: A Proposed Model

The winter 1997 survey of Anticoagulation Forum members identified a strong desire for an anticoagulation provider certification program. The Anticoagulation Provider Certification Working Group (APCWG) is a multidisciplinary committee formed (1) to develop the objectives and process required to achieve the competencies for anticoagulation therapy providers, (2) to propose a framework for a national certification process that validates achievement of anticoagulation therapy provider competencies, and (3) to create a reproducible educational framework for all clinicians involved with anticoagulation therapy. The APCWG assessed the need for credentialing the levels of mastery expected of anticoagulation providers, identified key elements of a certification program, assessed published anticoagulation provider competencies, studied elements of a successful regional credentialing program, proposed core anticoagulation domains of knowledge and associated competencies, and solicited and incorporated broad-based multidisciplinary feedback on such domains and competencies. As a result, the APCWG has developed a draft of five knowledge domains: physiology/pathophysiology of thromboembolic disorders, patient assessment and management, patient education, pharmacology of antithrombotic agents, and operational processes surrounding the coordinated care of an anticoagulated patient. These draft domains of knowledge and the accompanying list of detailed competencies were distributed to all attendees of the May 1997 Anticoagulation Forum Meeting for review and feedback. The plan is to incorporate comments and revise the documents, develop and pilot a certification process, and present the results of the pilot(s) to a national organization to serve as a foundation of a valid and accepted national certification process.