Reducing anticoagulant medication adverse events and avoidable patient harm.
Hospitalized patients receiving anticoagulants such as warfarin are at high risk for adverse drug events, and reducing the incidence of such errors is one of the Joint Commission's 2008 National Patient Safety Goals. In this study, a hospital system instituted several patient safety measures, including an anticoagulation service and executive walk rounds, to target anticoagulant-related medication errors. The 3-year project resulted in a significant reduction in both bleeding and thrombotic episodes. A case of a warfarin-related adverse event is discussed in an AHRQ WebM&M commentary.