Computer assisted management of warfarin treatment

Maintenance of anticoagulation is laborious and costly, and the results are often indifferent. An automatic system which adjusts the dose of warfarin has been designed using a formula devised after a survey of prescribing habits. Programs running on a microcomputer maintain a file of the necessary information and deal with the bulk of the weekly clinic. Dosage is advised, the date of the next visit determined, and the file updated. A doctor uses the console to advise some 10% of patients reserved for special reasons. The system produces clinic and ambulance lists, copies of the advice sent to patients, and, as a protection against machine failure, a weekly copy of the updated file. The results after 16 months are at least as good as those achieved manually. Medical and secretarial time is saved, and statistics about the clinic and its efficacy are made available.