Oral anticoagulation monitoring in a community pharmacy

Efforts by pharmacists to become more involved in patient care move the profession beyond the traditional role of dispenser. These initiatives increase the professionalism of the pharmacist and carry the potential for monetary rewards. Monitoring oral anticoagulation therapy is an area in which pharmacists can use specialized drug knowledge and advances in technology to fulfill a special patient need in the community setting. This article has outlined factors that should be considered in the development of an oral anticoagulation therapy monitoring program. Pharmacists can apply these principles to their individual practice environments to determine whether such a program is feasible, practical, and profitable. Pharmacists interested in this type of program must then prepare themselves for the increased demands of documentation, quality assurance, and patient counseling. By implementing an anticoagulation service, pharmacists can improve patient outcomes and extend their practices into a new frontier of pharmaceutical care.