A recent editorial in the British Medical Journal by Carl Heneghan and colleagues has endorsed the benefits of patient self-monitoring and self-management for patients using warfarin as an anticoagulant
“Several guidelines currently recommend self-monitoring as one strategy to improve the management of OAT. However, uptake is variable. For example, self-monitoring has become an established practice in some countries, such as Germany. In contrast, several barriers to increased uptake of self-monitoring have been identified in the UK, despite being advocated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. In some instances,point-of-care devices have proved to be inaccurate, and therefore, it is essential that patients are regularly reviewed with external quality assurance undertaken. Furthermore, for widespread uptake, there is a need to further evaluate the training packages on offer, as many patients seemingly start testing with minimal input from health services.”