Pharmacist-Facilitated Interactive E-Learning for Patients Newly Initiated on Warfarin: A Randomised Controlled Study

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Medical Education
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Hospital inpatients require education on complex medications like warfarin.
• The effectiveness of electronic-learning (e-learning) for inpatient medication education is not well-established.
• Optimizing pharmacist education delivery methods is crucial for patient safety and resource management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare pharmacist-facilitated e-learning with standard face-to-face education for warfarin knowledge in hospital inpatients.
• To assess patient and carer satisfaction with both e-learning and traditional warfarin education methods.
• To evaluate the time spent by pharmacists delivering warfarin education using different modalities.

Main Methods:

• A prospective randomized controlled study involving adult English-speaking patients prescribed warfarin or their unpaid carers.
• Participants were randomized to receive either standard pharmacist face-to-face education or pharmacist-facilitated e-learning via a tablet.
• Knowledge was assessed using the Oral Anticoagulation Knowledge (OAK) test, and satisfaction and pharmacist time were recorded.

Main Results:

• E-learning participants achieved a median OAK score of 85% versus 80% in the standard education group (p=0.14), indicating non-inferior knowledge.
• Patient and carer satisfaction was comparable between the e-learning and standard education groups.
• A trend indicated reduced pharmacist time in the e-learning group (25.5 min) compared to the standard group (33 min) (p=0.05).

Conclusions:

• Pharmacist-facilitated e-learning is a non-inferior method for educating hospital inpatients about warfarin compared to standard face-to-face instruction.
• E-learning holds potential for efficient medication education delivery, possibly reducing healthcare professional workload.
• Further research could explore broader implementation and long-term outcomes of e-learning in inpatient medication management.