The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate whether telepharmacy-led counselling can improve medication adherence, knowledge, and hospitalisation/mortality compared with pharmacist-led counselling in adult outpatients taking oral anticoagulants.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
360
The counselling process will be delivered as follows: (1) researchers assist patients in signing up and using the telepharmacy application; (2) researchers send the counselling information from the telepharmacy application to the patient's account (the information will be provided as leaflets and 3-5-minute videos to improve the accessibility); (3) the integrated chatbot system forwards any additional questions or concerns of the patients to the counselling pharmacists; and (4) the pharmacists directly address the patient's questions or concerns through phone calls within the shortest possible timeframe.
Pharmacists will counsel the patients on how to use their OAC. Each counselling section will take approximately 7-15 minutes, depending on the patient's questions or concerns. The counselling contents have already been compiled and validated by NDGD Hospital to ensure rationale and simplicity for every patient. Counselling pharmacists have received specialised training in drug information and patient communication so intervention delivery will be consistent across different pharmacists.
Medication adherence
Measured using Morisky-Green-Levine scale. The levels of adherence are: (1) high (0 point); (2) medium (1-2 points); and (3) low (3-4 points).
Time frame: Measured at month 1, 6, and 12 after randomisation
Knowledge of oral anticoagulants
Measured using Anticoagulant Knowledge Tool scale that was modified and validated on Vietnamese patients. This includes two sections: (1) general knowledge of oral anticoagulants (16 questions with a maximum score of 21) and (2) specific knowledge of vitamin K antagonists (5 questions with a maximum score of 8, only for patients using vitamin K antagonists). For multiple-choice questions, 1 correct answer earns 1 point, while for short-answer questions, 1 correct answer may result in 1-3 points, depending on the questions. The standardized score will be presented as percentage (based on the maximum score of 21 for direct-acting oral anticoagulant-taking patients or 29 for those using vitamin K antagonists), with the higher score indicating better knowledge.
Time frame: Measured at month 1, 6, and 12 after randomisation
All-cause hospitalisation
Measured using medical records and self-reported/family-reported information
Time frame: 24 months after randomisation
VTE-related hospitalisation
Measured using medical records and self-reported/family-reported information
Time frame: 24 months after randomisation
Bleeding-related hospitalisation
Measured using medical records and self-reported/family-reported information
Time frame: 24 months after randomisation
All-cause mortality
Measured using medical records and self-reported/family-reported information
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Time frame: 24 months after randomisation
VTE-related mortality
Measured using medical records and self-reported/family-reported information
Time frame: 24 months after randomisation
Bleeding-related mortality
Measured using medical records and self-reported/family-reported information
Time frame: 24 months after randomisation