| A SystematicDespite a growing body of literature supporting the potential benefit of pharmacist-managed warfarin therapy (PMWT), comprehensive reviews
regarding this topic are still lacking. A systematic search of literature was done in Pubmed/Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library
from database inception to January 2014. Studies comparing PMWT with usual medical care (UMC) regarding the control of anticoagulation, bleeding
and thromboembolic events, mortality, hospitalization, emergency department visit, cost, patients’ satisfaction, and quality of life were included. Of
758 potential articles identified, 24 studies (4 randomized controlled trials [RCT] and 20 non-RCT studies) with a population of 11 607 were included.
Among non-RCT studies, the percentage of time in the therapeutic range (72.1% vs 56.7%; P¼.013), major bleeding events (0.6% vs 1.7%, P<.001),
thromboembolic events (0.6% vs 2.9%; P<.001), hospitalization (3% vs 10%; P<.001), emergency department visits (7.9% vs 23.9%; P<.0001)
significantly favored PMWT. The study supported PMWT regarding cost saving and patient satisfaction. The results showed that the PMWT model is
superior to UMC in managing warfarin therapy based on observational studies. As well, it is comparable to UMC based on RCT studies. |