Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Stop the Bleeding! Using a Nurse Practitioner to Impact Compliance in an Inpatient Anticoagulant Program

Since The Joint Commission implemented the National Patient Safety Goal, "Reduction of the Likelihood of Patient Harm Associated with the Use of Anticoagulant Therapy" in 2008,Lutheran Medical Center has used a multidisciplinary approach to manage its anticoagulation program. The facility addressed each safety goal element, implemented evidence-based anticoagulant guidelines, and trained prescribers in the use of the guidelines. Monitoring indicated that "the time to therapeutic goal" exceeded acceptable standards and the hospital's internal goal. In October 2010, the pharmacy hired a nurse practitioner to oversee the anticoagulation program. This brought the pharmacy and nursing staff even closer together through this unique reporting structure, and the facility successfully achieved its goals and developed new initiatives under this model.