부산대학교 도서관

Objectives: This investigation characterizes the demographic characteristics of the patients attending a pharmacist managed anticoagulation clinic in the resource-constrained setting of western Kenya and outlines the challenges of delivering an anticoagulation monitoring service in this setting Methods: Through the collaboration of Purdue University College of Pharmacy faculty and local Kenyan pharmacists, a contextualized anticoagulation clinic care model has been developed which incorporates community health workers, pharmacy technologists, and physicians to deliver protocol-based care. Through the collection of data on standardized encounter forms, the initial demographic characteristics of this population are described. Results: The unique mix of indications for anticoagulant therapy of the 83 patients enrolled thus far can be seen as 9.6% have artificial heart valves, 18.0% have rheumatic heart disease induced valvular changes, and 59.0% have deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Several setting specific challenges have been identified including the potential for drug interactions with warfarin due to concomitant therapies for disease states such as tuberculosis and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Conclusions: With the increased awareness of the growing burden of diseases requiring anticoagulation therapy in sub-Saharan Africa, there is an emerging need for anticoagulation infrastructure in the context of provision of health care in western Kenya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]