A study was recently released in the American Journal of Managed Care regarding home point-of-care international normalized ration (INR) monitoring. The study, co-authored by NBCA MASAB member Dr. Jack Ansell, documents the ability of patients to monitor their own warfarin therapy outside of a clinical trial setting. The analysis of over 28,000 patients performing home monitoring shows excellent time in therapeutic range.
“The STABLE study is the largest study outside of clinical trials to assess the impact of INR home monitoring for warfarin therapy. It shows that patients can monitor their own INR at home and that weekly testing produces a high time in the therapeutic range, better than that seen in many randomized controlled studies of warfarin therapy” explains Dr. Ansell, “Home monitoring is simple and bypasses many of the drawbacks of warfarin monitoring. It has the potential to increase patient empowerment and adherence and as shown in clinical trials, compared to routine monitoring, reduces the incidence of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation. Some trials have shown reduced hemorrhage as well as improved survival with home monitoring.” You can read the study here.
