Development and Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Anticoagulation Educational Program

Staff  development  programs  have  been  developed  by national  pharmacy  organizations  to  improve  clinical  skills  and  expand the  services  offered  by  pharmacists.  Most  of  these  programs  do  not involve  the  training  of  other  health  care  professionals.  This  article describes  an  anticoagulation  training  program  designed  not  only  for pharmacists, but for physicians and nurses as well. For pharmacists, the effectiveness   of   educational   interventions   was   assessed   by pretest/post-test/surveys  with  an  average  increase  of  38%  from  base-line (p < 0.01). The knowledge gained by physicians and nurses is an ongoing process evaluated by follow-up warfarin medication use evaluations and prospective weight-based heparin protocol evaluations. The goal of staff development should be to equip each member of the healthcare team with the knowledge needed to improve patient outcomes