One of the most important components of a medical history is the medication list. With increasing frequency, medical practitioners will encounter a drug known both for its irreplaceable value and for its potential for life-threatening complications. This drug is warfarin, an oral anticoagulant medication perhaps better known by the common name brand of Coumadin. Warfarin is a high-risk drug implicated in serious complications and outcomes. In a retrospective study involving Emergency Department patients, warfarin was found to be the second most common drug responsible for adverse drug events. Due to the propensity for permanent disability and death from either the underuse of warfarin or its hemorrhagic complications, malpractice suits related to warfarin can be extremely costly. Working knowledge of the pharmacology, indications, monitoring, drug interactions, and complications of warfarin is essential to ensuring patient safety and avoiding the medical-legal vulnerabilities associated with its use.
In this activity, we continue (from Warfarin Complications) to present cases to illustrate some of the common issues related to the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of patients taking warfarin, and focus on several cognitive errors. We also include a case to exemplify what can happen when anticoagulation with warfarin is clearly indicated but not prescribed. Throughout the activity, we offer recommendations to reduce risk related to warfarin therapy. After completing this activity, practitioners should be able to: formulate a plan to manage adverse drug interactions that are known to occur in patients taking warfarin; identify the risks and potential complications associated with subtherapeutic INR levels in patients taking warfarin; and apply the guidelines for treating elevated INR levels in patients taking warfarin, with and without significant bleeding.
- Provider:The Sullivan Group
- Activity Link: https://www.thesullivangroup.com/RSQSolutions/course-purchase-home/
- Start Date: 2023-02-22 06:00:00
- End Date: 2023-02-22 06:00:00
- Credit Details: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™️: 2.0 hours
- Commercial Support: No
- Activity Type: Enduring Material
- CME Finder Type: Online Learning
- Fee to Participate: Variable
- Measured Outcome: Learner Competence, Learner Knowledge, Learner Performance, Patient Health
- Provider Ship: Directly Provided
- Registration: Open to all