Continuing Education Requirements for Anticoagulation Monitoring Services

Experiences in Teaching and Learning

Overview of a pharmacist anticoagulation certificate program

Abstract

Background and purpose

To describe the design of an ongoing anticoagulation certificate program and annual renewal update for pharmacists.

Educational activity and setting

Components of the anticoagulation certificate program include home study, pre- and posttest, live sessions, case discussions with evaluation and presentation, an implementation plan, and survey information (program evaluation and use in practice). Clinical reasoning skills were assessed through case work-up and evaluation prior to live presentation. An annual renewal program requires pharmacists to complete home study and case evaluations.

Findings

A total of 361 pharmacists completed the anticoagulation certificate program between 2002 and 2015. Most (62%) practiced in ambulatory care and 38% in inpatient care settings (8% in both). In the past four years, 71% were working in or starting anticoagulation clinics in ambulatory and inpatient settings. In their evaluations of the program, an average of 90% of participants agreed or strongly agreed the lecture material was relevant and objectives were met.

Summary

Pharmacists are able to apply knowledge and skills in management of anticoagulation. This structured practice-based continuing education program was intended to enhance pharmacy practice and has achieved that goal. The certificate program in anticoagulation was relevant to pharmacists who attended the program.

Section snippets

Background and purpose

There are numerous indications for anticoagulation therapy, including clotting disorders, venous thromboembolism, and stroke prevention in patient with atrial fibrillation or mechanical heart valves.¹ Anticoagulation therapy has continued to evolve, and pharmacists often lead efforts for patient pharmacotherapy selection, monitoring, and follow-up. Pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics are a mainstay in ambulatory and hospital settings.2., 3., 4. Satisfaction with pharmacist-managed

Educational activity and setting

Resources for the program included a continuing education infrastructure provided through an area health education center for program planning, faculty organization, and support staff. Prior to 2010, program information was sent to participants through computer files. From 2010 to the present, an online learning management system was utilized to upload lectures, tests, case information, and reading materials that participants could access at any time during the certificate program. A detailed

Findings

Since 2002, 361 pharmacists have completed the full certificate program with more women (74%) than men (26%) attending. Participants in this program were from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Most were practicing pharmacists in ambulatory care (62%) or inpatient patient care (38%) settings, and 8% indicated they practiced in both inpatient and outpatient settings. We offered the first renewal program in 2004; to date, 376 renewal completions have been processed with many

Discussion

Our anticoagulation certificate program applies components of knowledge, skills, and application to patient care in order to enhance participating pharmacists' expertise in anticoagulation management. This structured continuing education program was intended to enhance practice. Based on participants' feedback, our program has been successful in achieving that goal. Over the years that this program has existed, participation has varied, with a decline from 2012 to 2014 relative to 2010–2011.

Summary

The full anticoagulation and renewal certificate programs are models that show success for delivery of a program, and they have been well received and utilized by practicing pharmacists. The longstanding success of the program has been evidenced by the overall satisfaction from participating pharmacists. Practice-based continuing education programs like ours can enhance knowledge and provide the infrastructure to assist pharmacists to meet personal and professional goals.

Disclosure/conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts to report.

Acknowledgements

We thank Angela Hodges and Lisa Maurer for their diligence in helping execute this program over many years. Thanks go to Karen Oles, PharmD for her contribution to this program in the early stages at the Northwest Area Health Education Center. We also acknowledge the editorial assistance of Karen Klein, MA, in the Wake Forest Clinical and Translational Science Institute (UL1 TR001420; PI: Li).

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