Prescription practices and medical knowledge on direct oral anticoagulants in a reference hospital

Abstract

Introduction and objective: The experience and knowledge concerning the use of direct oral anticoagulants among specialists in Medellin, Colombia, are not known. Our goal was to describe the use of these drugs in patients treated at Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe and to assess the level of knowledge regarding this issue in professionals from this institution. Materials and methods: Cross sectional study conducted between January 2012 and January 2013. Two strategies to collect information were used, namely: Analysis of relevant medical records and evaluation of knowledge about the appropriate use and prescription of direct oral anticoagulants in the group of medical specialists. Results: 114 records were included in the analysis; rivaroxaban was the most frequently prescribed drug (87%) followed by dabigatran (13%). The main indication was prophylaxis in orthopedic surgery (69%). Average of correct answers among the different specialists evaluated was 67% with no apparent difference between them. Conclusion: rivaroxaban was prescribed more often than dabigatran; however, this fact does not appear to be associated with a clear and sufficient medical knowledge about these drugs. No reports of adverse events associated with this therapy were found.

Keywords

• Anticoagulants
• Knowledge
• Prescription