Keeping all of the information about a patient’s anticoagulant therapy organized in one place helps clinical staff assess responses and plan future treatment. Flow sheets are a great tool for tracking orders, doses administered, flow rates, laboratory values, and other important data. Since many patients must continue anticoagulation therapy after discharge from the hospital, make sure your organization’s flow sheets are designed so patients can understand them and use them at home. With comprehensive flow sheets, patients better understand their therapy, and prescribers have an easy reference when assessing responses and considering order changes.
Tips
- Incorporate into the flow sheet any specific guidelines or protocols for anticoagulation therapy in place in your organization.
- Organize laboratory information so staff members can see results over time, not just the most recent result.
- Define technical terms on the flow sheet, or use terminology that patients and family members can understand.
- Implement patient-directed dosing.
