Patient Feedback on a Warfarin Action Plan Used in a Local Australian Physician Practice Setting

Abstract

Background:Warfarin is a high-risk medicine, and older persons (those aged 65 years and older)1,2who take this therapy need medicines information about it that is at a level which is both understandable and comprehensive to improve their knowledge about the risks and benefits of warfarin therapy.3,4Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to report patient feedback on a Warfarin Action Plan (WAP) (leaflet) and identify patients’ preferences regarding its content and format. The secondary objective was to canvass in-depth feedback regarding the participants’ information needs and current information-seeking practices with respect to warfarin therapy.Method:In an Australian General Practice medical centre setting, a qualitative study comprising 34 individual interviews was conducted. Emergent themes were elicited via a qualitative analysis using manual inductive coding.Results:The majority of participants gave very positive feedback on the WAP leaflet, stating that it was a useful and concise resource. In canvasing this feedback, 4 themes emerged: (1) the need for information about warfarin therapy, (2) reliance on doctors and/or pharmacists for information, (3) the need for information to normalize their daily life, and (4) patients and carers acting on the new information.Conclusion:The WAP is a simple and well-received tool that meets the knowledge and education needs about warfarin therapy for older people and their carers.