Evaluation of a primary care anticoagulant clinic managed by a pharmacist
BMJ 1996; 312 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.312.7030.560 (Published 02 March 1996) Cite this as: BMJ 1996;312:560- Sheena H Macgregor, clinical pharmacista,
- John G Hamley, clinical pharmacista,
- James A Dunbar, senior partnera,
- Timothy Rp Dodd, chief administrative pharmaceutical officerb,
- John A Cromarty, professor and national specialist in clinical pharmacyc
- a Downfield Surgery, Dundee DD3 8NE
- b Tayside Health Board, Vernonholme, Dundee DD1 9NL
- c Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen AB1 1FR
- Correspondence to: Ms Macgregor.
- Accepted 5 December 1995
Hospital outpatient anticoagulant clinics managed by pharmacists have improved the quality of care and resource use.1 Patients receiving anticoagulation often are elderly, cannot endure long waiting times,2 and find travelling to hospital difficult. Their effective management requires access to information about current medical problems and treatments. Systems for managing risks associated with new prescriptions or illnesses which may affect anticoagulant control should also be available. For all these reasons a clinic based in the general practitioner's surgery might be more appropriate for patients who need long term monitoring. This study aimed to assess the benefits and costs to patients and general practitioners of a surgery based anticoagulation clinic run by a pharmacist.
Method and results
In September 1994 a weekly pharmacist led clinic was established in Downfield Surgery. International normalised ratios were measured from capillary blood …