Clinical decision support tool evaluation: Correction of direct oral anticoagulant dosing errors by clinical pharmacists and physicians

Abstract

Background

Inappropriate dosing occurs in up to 20% of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) prescriptions and is associated with bleeding, hospitalization, and death. Understanding why DOAC dosing errors arise after the initial prescribing period and how clinicians decide to adjust doses may help improve future antithrombotic stewardship efforts.

Objectives

This study aimed to describe responses by clinicians to asynchronous electronic health record notifications regarding inappropriate DOAC prescriptions that develop after the initial prescribing period.

Methods

As part of a larger randomized trial to improve evidence-based DOAC prescribing, we conducted a manual chart review to assess reasons for inappropriate DOAC prescriptions, clinician response, and reasons for not changing DOAC prescriptions.

Results

Most apixaban prescribing errors occurred in patients aged 80 years or older (87.8%). Overall, dose changes occurred after 32.7% of notifications. Notifications to increase the dose of apixaban resulted in fewer dose changes (16.8%) than those to reduce the dose of apixaban (52%), increase the dose of rivaroxaban (43.2%), or decrease the dose of rivaroxaban (43.6%). The original DOAC prescribers were less likely than pharmacists to document a reason for not making a dose change (46.1% vs 90.5%). Renal function, weight, and bleeding-related reasons were commonly cited as reasons not to make a dose change.

Conclusion

Various patient factors differentially influenced the likelihood that a clinician would change an inappropriate DOAC prescription. These factors can be used to tailor electronic health record-based notifications to reduce the burden on prescribers while maximizing the impact on patient safety by increasing evidence-based prescribing.