Patient Safety, 2011

Fletcher Allen Health Care

September 2011

Fletcher Allen Health Care, the academic medical center affiliated with the University of Vermont, has incorporated AHRQ's DVD and booklet, Staying Healthy and Active With Blood Thinners, into its television system and hospital patient education.

Kelli L. Rothenberger, PharmD, at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vermont, is a clinical pharmacist delivering the anticoagulation therapy education to new patients. She says, "I find the DVD and especially the booklet to be quite complete. The response from patients has been good; they find it comforting that the information from both the DVD and our counseling sessions can be found in these resources." Available in both English and Spanish, AHRQ's DVD and companion print booklet, Blood Thinner Pills: Your Guide to Using Them Safely, are designed to complement education that patients receive in their doctor's office, clinic, pharmacy, or hospital.

Nine nutritionists, 48 pharmacists, and approximately 600 nurses coordinate the anticoagulation education program at Fletcher Allen Health Care. They help patients better understand blood thinners and how to manage them effectively. The AHRQ materials were incorporated into the clinic's anticoagulation education program for patients in July 2010 in all units except pediatrics.

Fletcher Allen Health Care offers 30 educational videos on its inpatient system. As of August 2011, Blood Thinner Pills: Your Guide to Using Them Safely had the highest number of patient views on the educational listing. A registered nurse or pharmacist provides the booklet to each inpatient receiving anticoagulation therapy. The nurse instructs patients on viewing the 10-minute AHRQ video on the hospital's television system. Pharmacists provide detailed one-on-one education with the patient regarding blood thinner safety and the complexity of anticoagulation therapy management.

On average, 10 to 15 patients per week are involved in the program. Upon the patient's discharge from the facility, a nurse reviews the anticoagulation information again and resolves any questions the patient may have. All education is documented in the patient's electronic medical record for other health care providers to access and review.

The AHRQ booklet can be downloaded at http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/btpills.pdf (PDF File, 530 KB; Plugin Software Help). The video can be downloaded at http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/btpills.htm#videos.

Impact Case Study Identifier: CQuIPS-11-03
AHRQ-Sponsored Activity: Staying Healthy and Active With Blood Thinners
Topic(s): Patient Education, Telemedicine, Chronic Disease Management
Scope: Vermont

Blood Thinner Pills: Your Guide to Using Them Safely. August 2010. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/btpills.htm

Return to Contents
Proceed to Next Section