A survey of current anticoagulation patient education practices and development

Introduction Anticoagulants are high-risk medications widely used to prevent and treat thrombotic events, resulting in a need for adequate patient education to minimize harm. While anticoagulant patient education interventions can improve knowledge and surrogate outcomes, they may not represent current practice. Our objective was to determine provider perceptions of anticoagulation patient education at their institution. Methods A quantitative survey was distributed through a national professional organization and across several health systems. Questions included educational delivery methods, perceived effectiveness, evaluation of patient knowledge, development of patient education, and demographics. Results The 61 survey respondents were 79.0% female, 86.2% white, and an average age of 43. Most respondents (95%) complete patient education interventions in one session. Providers reviewed educational topics in 37% of daily patient interactions. 59% of respondents reported reasons for not performing patient knowledge checks included no formal process requiring knowledge checks, lack of time, and forgetting. The majority (93.4%) reported their patient education process was somewhat or very effective. The main reason underlying perceived less effective patient education was too much information in one session. Thirty-four respondents had some knowledge of patient education development at their institution. Most of these (82.9%) indicated their educational process’s development relied on expert opinion. In comparison, 22.9% indicated utilizing user-based design, and 10 (28.9%) respondents used learning theories. Conclusion While most providers felt patient education was effective, they reported reviewing education with patients daily. The lack of formal knowledge checks and best practices in developing patient education tools are significant gaps to address.