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Warfarin Care Bundle

Warfarin is the number one drug which causes harm to patients in Scotland. Warfarin is a vitamin K antagonist. It interferes with the operation of vitamin K in blood coagulation. But the effect does not kick in immediately, and a single dose can be active from 2 to 5 days.  Moreover, Warfarin operates at such a fundamental level of body chemistry that the drug interacts with a wide range of other common medications (such as aspirin or ibuprofen), as well as many basic foodstuffs which the patient may regard as safe – such as kale or spinach.

As a result, achieving a dosage that’s both safe for the patient and sufficient to prevent thrombotic events is no easy task. If a patient’s score is too high on a blood clotting scale, then there’s a real risk of bleeding; too low and there’s a risk of blood clots. That’s why a disciplined approach to the management of blood clots and blood testing is fundamental to patient care and safety, including ongoing one-to-one patient education.

This set of tools will allow you to measure your processes for prescribing and monitoring of Warfarin to help you identify how you can deliver safer healthcare for patients.

Please note that this webpage was published in 2015. If you have any queries please get in touch with the team at his.pcpteam@nhs.scot.