Implementation of patient education software in an anticoagulation clinic to decrease visit times for new patient appointments

Objective

Patient education on high-risk medications such as warfarin is important, and they require quick follow-up after initiation to maximize efficacy and safety. In our Anticoagulation Clinic, two 60-minute new patient appointments are available each day, contributing to prolonged lead-time. We instituted standardized warfarin video education to shorten in-clinic-room visit time, to potentially increase new patient appointments.

Methods

Patients viewed the video in the waiting area with a goal to decrease visit times by 15?min (25%), before pharmacists completed their visit. Data collected included time spent in the clinic room, education comprehension, and patient feedback.

Results

Ninety patient visits were evaluated in one pre-intervention and two post-intervention phases. Patients who received video education spent less time in the clinic room versus those who had not (52.4 vs 39.4?min, p?=?0.001), and two-thirds of all post-intervention visits achieved 25% reduction in visit time. There were no significant differences in education comprehension and patient satisfaction.

Conclusion

Video education significantly decreased in-clinic-room visit time, and most patients achieved a goal of 25% reduction in time spent, without a change in comprehension or patient satisfaction.

Practice implications

Implementation of video education can reduce clinic times in many patients without significantly impacting patient satisfaction.