Does self-monitoring of the INR improve quality of anticoagulation and quality of life in patients receiving oral long-term anticoagulation?
Self-monitoring of INR using a portable device improves both the quality of anticoagulation and patient quality of life in individuals on long-term oral anticoagulation.
In a prospective cohort study the influence of self-monitoring of the International Normalized Ratio (INR) was examined on 100 consecutive patients for a period of 6 months. Quality of life changed in a positive way. Independence and better organization of vacation and spare time were the most frequently mentioned advantages of the new method. Quality of anticoagulation by using a self-monitoring device was improved compared to the values before using the self-monitoring device. For measuring the INR, the usage of a portable monitor as the primary method can be recommended in selected patients receiving oral long-term anticoagulation.
Kulinna et al. (1999) studied this question.
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