Quality of warfarin anticoagulant therapy in family medicine practices asessed by time in therapeutic range: A retrospective observational study

Autori:

Mladen Oršolić, Venija Cerovečki, Ana Klir, Mario Ćurković

Sažetak
Cilj. Cilj istraživanja bio je procijeniti kvalitetu varfarinske antikoagulacijske terapije u ambulantama obiteljske medicine primjenom pokazatelja vremena provedenog u terapijskom rasponu (engl. time in therapeutic range, TTR) te utvrditi udio bolesnika koji postižu optimalnu kvalitetu terapije. Dodatni cilj bio je ispitati povezanost kvalitete terapije s odabranim demografskim i kliničkim obilježjima bolesnika. Ispitanici i metode. Provedeno je retrospektivno opservacijsko istraživanje u šest ambulanti obiteljske medicine (tri urbane i tri ruralne) u razdoblju od 1. siječnja 2022. do 31. prosinca 2024. U analizu su uključeni bolesnici liječeni varfarinom s najmanje tri zabilježena mjerenja međunarodnog normaliziranog omjera (engl. international normalized ratio, INR) i kontinuiranim praćenjem terapije (n = 113). Podatci su prikupljeni iz elektroničkih medicinskih kartona i anonimizirani prije analize. Vrijednost TTR-a izračunata je Rosendaalovom metodom linearne interpolacije. TTR je analiziran kao kontinuirana varijabla te binarno, pri čemu je TTR ≥70% definiran kao optimalna kvaliteta antikoagulacijske terapije. Podatci su prikazani kao medijan i interkvartilni raspon, a razlike između skupina analizirane su neparametrijskim statističkim testovima. Rezultati. U istraživanje je uključeno 113 bolesnika, medijana dobi 75 godina (interkvartilni raspon 66,5 – 81,5), od kojih je 52,2% bilo ženskog spola. Medijan TTR-a iznosio je 55% (interkvartilni raspon 33,9 – 74,6), uz raspon vrijednosti od 0 do 97,5%. Optimalnu kvalitetu antikoagulacijske terapije (TTR ≥70%) postiglo je 39 (34,5%) bolesnika. Nisu utvrđene statistički značajne razlike u vrijednostima TTR-a s obzirom na dob, spol, tip ambulante, osnovnu indikaciju za varfarinsku terapiju niti prisutnost analiziranih komorbiditeta. Zaključci. Kvaliteta varfarinske antikoagulacijske terapije u ambulantama obiteljske medicine bila je pretežno suboptimalna, s relativno malim udjelom bolesnika koji postižu preporučeni TTR ≥70%. Rezultati upućuju na potrebu za unaprjeđenjem organizacije praćenja i upravljanja varfarinskom terapijom u primarnoj zdravstvenoj zaštiti radi poboljšanja kvalitete liječenja i smanjenja rizika tromboembolijskih i hemoragijskih komplikacija.
Summary

Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of warfarin anticoagulant therapy in family medicine practices using time in therapeutic range (TTR) and to determine the proportion of patients achieving optimal therapy quality. The secondary aim was to examine the association between therapy quality and selecteddemographic and clinical characteristics. Patients and Methods. A retrospective observational study was conducted in six family medicine practices (three urban and three rural) between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2024. Patients treated with warfarin who had at least three recorded international normalized ratio (INR) measurements and continuous follow-up were included in the analysis (n = 113). Data were obtained from electronic medical records and anonymized prior to analysis. TTR was calculated using the Rosendaal linear interpolation method. TTR was analyzed both as a continuous variable and dichotomously, with TTR ≥70% defined as optimal anticoagulant therapy quality. Data were presented as medians and interquartile ranges, and differences between groups were analyzed using nonparametric statistical tests. Results. A total of 113 patients were included, with a median age of 75 years (interquartile range 67–82), 52.2% were female. The median TTR was 55% (interquartile range 33.9–74.6), with values ranging from 0 to 97.5%. Optimal anticoagulant therapy quality (TTR ≥70%) was achieved by 39 (34.5%) patients. TTR values did not differ significantly according to age, sex, type of practice, primary indication for warfarin therapy, or analyzed comorbidities. Conclusions. The quality of warfarin anticoagulant therapy in family medicine practices was predominantly suboptimal, with a relatively small proportion of patients achieving the recommended TTR ≥70%. These findings indicate the need for improved organization of monitoring and management of warfarin therapy in primary health care in order to enhance treatment quality and reduce the risk of thromboembolic and bleeding complications.