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spring 2007 |
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h
e a l t h t e c h n o l o g y
Informing the
management of patients at risk of thromboembolic events
Point-of-care monitoring
devices can be effective in the management of patients on long-term oral
anticoagulation therapy, resulting in significantly fewer deaths and
thromboembolic events, according to a recent health technology
assessment report by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in
Health (CADTH).
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Submitted article |
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Point-of-care monitoring devices can
be effective in the management of patients on long-term oral
anticoagulation therapy, resulting in significantly fewer deaths and
thromboembolic events, according to a recent health technology
assessment report by the
Canadian Agency for
Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH).
The report, Point-of-Care Monitoring
Devices for Long-Term Oral Anticoagulation Therapy: Clinical and Cost
Effectiveness, involved a systematic review of the clinical and
economic literature on the use of these devices, and a Canadian economic
analysis.
Portable point-of-care devices enable
patients on long-term oral anticoagulation therapy to be monitored in a
clinic or at home. The devices use a drop of blood from a fingertip and
results are available almost immediately.
The CADTH report may be of interest to
administrators of anticoagulation programs who need to know how
point-of-care devices used by patients and anticoagulation clinics
compare with standard laboratory testing. The report may also be of
interest to physicians and patients in rural or remote areas, as well as
to patients who may be traveling away from home for extended periods.
Compared with laboratory testing, using
point-of-care devices results in better control of anticoagulation
status for the monitoring of oral anticoagulation therapy. There were no
significant differences in hemorrhagic events. Use of point-of-care
devices in anticoagulation clinics results in cost savings for Canada’s
publicly funded system compared with conventional testing in laboratory
settings.
About one-quarter of the estimated 209,000
patients on oral anticoagulation therapy in Canada’s publicly funded
drug programs could be eligible for self-testing or self-management with
point-of-care devices. However, education is key for patients,
caregivers and health-care providers. Self-testing by patients, compared
with laboratory testing, does not seem to be cost saving for the
publicly funded health-care system.
This report is available on
CADTH’s web site.
CADTH welcomes your feedback on the report through the online survey
available on this page. You can also contact CADTH’s Liaison Officer for
Newfoundland and Labrador. Cindy Mosher
will be the interim Liaison Officer as of March 9, 2007, while Sheila
Tucker is on temporary leave.
The Canadian Agency for
Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) is a national body that
provides Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial health care
decision makers with credible, impartial advice and evidence-based
information about the effectiveness and efficiency of drugs and other
health technologies.
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