[Decentralizing review sessions for patients who have undergone an oral anticoagulant treatment]

Therapeutic use of oral anticoagulants began some fifty years ago. In the past decade, we have witnessed a large increase in the number of people who undergo oral anticoagulant treatment. A correct applied control on these patients, whether that control be carried out in a hospital setting or in a primary health care center, has been demonstrated to be effective in preventing serious complications; this fact taken into account with the improved life quality gained by avoiding displacements and inconveniences makes it obvious to conclude that decentralization benefits all concerned. There are various models available to use to manage oral anticoagulant treatment. In this analysis, the authors deal with the management carried out from a primary health care center which contacts patients after their dosis has been adjusted and validated by a hematologist at the Torrecárdenas Hospital Complex. As their hypothesis, the authors of this study plan to demonstrate the possibility of decentralizing the reviews of patients undergoing oral anticoagulant treatment, thereby avoiding trips in order to control and adjust their treatment. This is a non-random clinical study whose study group has been chosen by means of a non-probability criteria. This study lasted 12 months. The subjects were chosen from patients undergoing oral anticoagulant treatment registered in the hematology service's data base at the Torrecárdenas Hospital Complex in Almeria. Applied protocol for being included in this study was decentralization of coagulation. The study sample included 38,097 patients. This study included commentaries by the patients receiving this treatment as a fundamental element to prove its effectiveness.