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Drug adherence in patients taking oral anticoagulation therapy

Sebastian Ewen1, Volker Rettig-Ewen, Felix Mahfoud

  • 1Klinik für Innere Medizin III, Kardiologie, Angiologie und Internistische Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Kirrberger Str., Geb. 40, 66421, Homburg/Saar, Germany, Sebastian.Ewen@uks.eu.

Clinical Research in Cardiology : Official Journal of the German Cardiac Society
|September 4, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Adherence to oral anticoagulation is crucial for preventing blood clots. This review explores factors impacting medication adherence and strategies to improve it for better patient outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacology
  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Patient Adherence Research

Background:

  • Oral anticoagulation therapy is vital for managing thromboembolic events, reducing mortality and morbidity.
  • Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) present challenges including narrow therapeutic windows, drug-food interactions, and variable dosing, leading to risks of ineffective treatment or bleeding.
  • Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) offer comparable or superior efficacy and safety profiles to VKAs, with fixed dosing and no routine monitoring, simplifying management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review factors influencing medication adherence in patients undergoing oral anticoagulation.
  • To discuss strategies for enhancing drug adherence in patients prescribed oral anticoagulants.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on oral anticoagulation therapy.
  • Analysis of factors affecting patient adherence to anticoagulants.
  • Synthesis of strategies to improve medication adherence.

Main Results:

  • Adherence is a critical determinant of oral anticoagulation effectiveness and safety.
  • DOACs, while easier to use, present challenges in monitoring adherence.
  • Continuous and regular intake is essential for optimal therapeutic benefit.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding factors affecting adherence is key to optimizing oral anticoagulation therapy.
  • Implementing targeted strategies can improve medication adherence and patient outcomes.
  • Further research into adherence monitoring for DOACs is warranted.

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