Influencing the introduction of self-monitoring coagulometers for NHS patients receiving longterm vitamin K antagonist therapy

Description of impact

Quality of life for patients on long-term oral anticoagulation therapy is negatively affected by the travel associated with up to 20 regular checks per year at their GP or hospital. Research, led by the University of Aberdeen Health Technology Assessment Group, was responsible for NICE guidance recommendations approving a Roche-manufactured device for self-testing by patients in both England and Scotland. The recommendations underpinned NHS Trust guidelines for patients and carers, saved time in NHS primary care settings, improved the quality of life for patients and generated commercial benefits. 17,000 patients in the UK use the device and in one NHS Trust with 500 patients, the number of out-patients attendees has halved, avoiding over 55,000 in-patient appointments in a seven-year period.

Outcomes to Date / Future Developments

The research findings described in this case study [1,2] provided the evidence needed for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to justify the clinical and cost effectiveness for international normalised ratio (INR) self-testing for patients on Warfarin. These findings have underpinned healthcare policy and benefited front-line medical services, patients and commercial companies.

The impacts can be summarised under four headings:
1.Enabling clinical guidelines
2.Reducing the burden on NHS primary care
3.Improving the lives of patients
4.Delivering commercial benefit

Impact status	Impact Completed (Open)
Impact date	2013 → 2020