Practical Prescribing: Direct oral anticoagulants

Practical Prescribing is a series produced in conjunction with the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin to highlight important issues for prescribers to consider and prompts for shared decision making between prescribers, patients, and their carers. Targeted at all medical and non-medical prescribers, particularly doctors in training, the series covers medicines commonly prescribed in primary and secondary care.What you need to knowDosing and duration of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) treatments vary based on their indication, as well as a patient’s weight and renal functionBefore initiating treatment, assess baseline haemoglobin and platelet levels, check renal and liver function, and calculate creatinine clearanceBleeding events are a common complication; educate patients on recognising symptoms, including coffee ground vomit, coloured urine, and severe or persistent dizzinessA 75 year old man with hypertension and severe knee osteoarthritis presented to the emergency department after a mechanical fall complicated by a radial head fracture that was managed conservatively. Prior…
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