Table 2.
Topics for Education of the Anticoagulated Patient
| Category | Educational Topic |
| Basics of anticoagulation | |
| Description of the coagulation system | |
| Normal blood clotting compared with clotting of an anticoagulated patient | |
| Warfarin – mechanism | |
| Risk-Benefit | |
| Risk of bleeding versus – descriptive versus numerical | |
| Risk of clotting – descriptive versus numerical | |
| Complications of thromboemboli | |
| Adherence | |
| Color and strength of tablets | |
| What to do if dose missed | |
| Accessing healthcare professionals | |
| When to call the doctor | |
| When to seek emergency care | |
| Anticoagulation services | |
| Diet | |
| Basics of Vitamin K | |
| Specific foods | |
| Lab monitoring | |
| Basics of the INR | |
| Therapeutic INR range | |
| Most recent INR Result | |
| Interpretation of INR values | |
| Frequency of INR determination | |
| Medication interactions | |
| Antibiotics | |
| OTC medications | |
| Self-Care | |
| Injury management and contraindicated activities | |
| Signs of bleeding events (overdose) | |
| Signs of thromboembolic events (underdose) | |
| Management of minor bleeding events | |
| Medical alert bracelet | |
| Special situations – illness, travel, pregnancy, surgeries | |
| Endocarditis prophylaxis | |
| Self-testing | |
| Dose adjustment | |
| Home coagulometry | |
| Diary/quality control record keeping |