Patient Self-Management of Anticoagulation: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

Abstract

Editorials4 January 2005Patient Self-Management of Anticoagulation: An Idea Whose Time Has ComeRebecca J. Beyth, MD, MScRebecca J. Beyth, MD, MScFrom Baylor College of Medicine and Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-142-1-200501040-00014 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail As the indications for the use of oral vitamin K antagonists in the treatment and prophylaxis of thromboembolic disorders increase, thromboembolic disorders are increasingly being recognized as chronic conditions in which high-quality chronic care management is essential for maximizing the net benefit of therapy (1). As envisioned in the chronic care model, optimal chronic care occurs when a “prepared proactive practice team interacts with an informed activated patient” (2). Inherent in this model is the concept of the patient–professional partnership as a new paradigm in which patients with chronic conditions, such as thromboembolic disorders, are their own caregivers and health ...