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Satisfaction, quality of life and therapy adherence assessment in real life patients transitioning from vitamin K antagonists to direct oral anticoagulants

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Abstract

Anticoagulant therapy has undergone a significant change since direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) introduction. Their obvious advantages including the fixed dose, the few interactions and less frequent controls, have made them the first choice anticoagulant therapy. More and more patients have therefore switched from therapy with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) to DOACs. Aim of our study was to assess the satisfaction, quality of life (QoL) and therapy adherence of patients who switched from VKA to DOACs therapy. This single center study evaluated satisfaction and QoL of 107 patients who switched from VKA to DOACs therapy through Anti-Clot Treatment Scale and SF-36 respectively. The questionnaires were administered before therapy change, after 3 months of DOACs therapy and then annually. We also evaluated DOACs therapy adherence with a questionnaire administered each visit and through the measures of DOACs plasma levels. Patients’ satisfaction and QoL were high during VKA therapy, but with DOACs we observed an improvement after the first 3 months and then maintained over the time of DOACs therapy. DOACs adherence was excellent, also confirmed by DOACs plasma levels.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. “Sapienza”, University of Rome, Via Benevento 6, 00161, Rome, Italy

    Alessandra Serrao, Benedetta Lucani, Giovanni Assanto Manfredi, Luciano Fiori, Erminia Baldacci, Simona Michela Aprile & Antonio Chistolini

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  1. Alessandra Serrao
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  2. Benedetta Lucani
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  3. Giovanni Assanto Manfredi
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  4. Luciano Fiori
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  6. Simona Michela Aprile
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  7. Antonio Chistolini
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Correspondence to Antonio Chistolini.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (Department of Translational Medicine and Precision, “Sapienza” University of Rome) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Serrao, A., Lucani, B., Assanto Manfredi, G. et al. Satisfaction, quality of life and therapy adherence assessment in real life patients transitioning from vitamin K antagonists to direct oral anticoagulants. J Thromb Thrombolysis 50, 718–723 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11239-020-02070-2

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