Systematic education about anticoagulant drugs: For better patient compliance and to extenuate complications in postcardiovascular surgery patients

Background: Patients' knowledge about the necessity of taking anticoagulant medication to look upon their condition is a component that determines the long-term outcome of cardiovascular surgery. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective randomized controlled trial comprised a group of patients who received detailed education about oral anticoagulants (OACs) and a control group who received standard management without education. This study tested the impact of regular patient education on drug compliance. Four hundred and twenty-five patients were analyzed. The patients included were on oral anticoagulation for vascular procedures, cardiac valve replacements, and coronary artery bypass surgery with endarterectomy. Results: The patients who attended the awareness class had better drug compliance at 1 month and 6 months. A higher postclass score was associated with better and longer drug compliance. Although higher education translated into better test scores, it was revealed that regular classes allowed all patients to score higher, regardless of their academic literacy. Conclusion: This study establishes that an educational intervention improves adherence to anticoagulant therapy. It has diminished the incidence of complications in experimental group in contrast to the control group.