Patients being treated for atrial fibrillation with novel oral anticoagulants were more likely to encounter difficulties based on their level of education, according to a European Heart Rhythm Association/European Society of Cardiology survey published in Europace.
The European survey consisted of 40 questions and was posed to 1,147 patients. The results displayed that not only were patients with some college credit more likely to be treated with NOACs than those with no university-level education, the more educated patients had better a understanding of their medication and its recommended management.
Those with no college-level education were about 20 percent less likely to be aware of the bleeding risks associated with anticoagulant medications. About 5 percent of patients without college education exceeded the upper limit of their international normalized ratio level several times a month, while about 3 percent of patients with more education faced the same issue. The impact of anticoagulation on quality of life varied significantly between these patient sets. Eighty percent of patients with university education knew that they could maintain their daily routines like participating in athletics or operating a motor vehicle. That number dropped below 52 percent for those without a college education.
The survey's leading cardiologist, Carina Blomström-Lundqvist, MD, PhD, said, "The survey shows that differences in patient education level may compromise the safety and efficacy of anticoagulants. Patients unaware of the importance of being compliant have a higher risk for both bleeding events and stroke. The findings underline the importance of providing user-friendly education about risk factors for stroke and adequate use of anticoagulants, and the importance of tailoring the educational message to the target population so that it is understood irrespective of the patient's level of schooling."
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