Patient Safety, 2012

Temple University Hospital Uses AHRQ Materials to Educate Patients About Safe Use of Blood Thinners

March 2012

Temple University Hospital, in conjunction with Temple University School of Pharmacy, uses AHRQ's video "Staying Active and Healthy With Blood Thinners" as a component of its anticoagulation patient education program. The program helps reduce patient harms associated with the use of anticoagulation therapy.

The anticoagulation education service at Temple University Hospital is a pharmacist-led, student-supported program. Students provide both verbal and written education to all patients actively receiving anticoagulation therapy. The video is available to inpatients on the hospital's Telephone Initiated Guided Response system. The system offers access to videos on demand through the in-room telephone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. AHRQ's video was added to the patient education service in 2010. It has been viewed by 181 patients through 2011.

Jamila Stanton, PharmD, Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice at Temple University School of Pharmacy, notes, "The video has been a great addition to the anticoagulation education program. It has positively impacted patient care at Temple University Hospital."

The video reinforces key concepts, such as medication adherence, blood test monitoring, potential drug and dietary interactions, and warning signs of bleeding. Stanton continues, "Considering the complex nature of anticoagulation therapy, the video serves as a great reminder or recap of the education materials provided on the day of discharge. It also helps educate family members and caregivers who may not have been present at the initial counseling visit. Additionally, it allows patients the freedom and flexibility to watch the video at their leisure as often as they would like."

Having an educational tool such as AHRQ's video has helped Temple University Hospital meet the educational needs of its patients at no extra cost. Michelle Mason, PharmD, Pharmacy Manager of Clinical Services and Education at Temple University Hospital, notes, "This is exceedingly important at our institution, as Temple has traditionally met the needs of an underserved community, providing superior care to patients with limited financial resources." Since the video is available in both English and Spanish, it captures the two most common languages spoken at the hospital.

According to Mason, nurses rely on the video to assist them in educating patients when the student counseling program is not available. Although watching the video is currently voluntary, in an effort to optimally utilize high-risk medications such as anticoagulants, Temple University Hospital is considering making it a requirement for all patients prescribed anticoagulation therapy prior to discharge.

Temple University Hospital is a 740-bed academic medical center. It provides both inpatient and outpatient services to the community and specialized tertiary services to the Philadelphia region.

"Staying Active and Healthy With Blood Thinners" can be downloaded at http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/btpills.htm#videos. The accompanying AHRQ booklet can be downloaded at http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/btpills.htm#booklet.

Impact Case Study Identifier: CQuIPS-12-06
AHRQ Products: "Staying Active and Healthy With Blood Thinners"
Topic(s): Patient Safety
Scope: Pennsylvania

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

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