Anas Hamad: Medication Adherence and Treatment Persistence Following the Switch From VKAs to DOACs
Anas Hamad, Deputy Chief of Drug Supply Department, Head of Pharmacy Research Center, Corporate Pharmacy Executive Office at Hamad Medical Corporation, Lead of Health Technology Assessment and Innovation Regulation National Program at Ministry of Public Health – Qatar, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article he and his colleagues co-authored, published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders, adding:
“Pleased to share our latest publication ‘Medication Adherence and Treatment Persistence Following Switching from Vitamin K Antagonists to Direct Oral Anticoagulants: a Systematic Review’ in the BMC Cardiovascular Disorders journal by Springer Nature.
As the use of DOACs continues to expand, understanding what happens after patients switch from traditional vitamin K antagonists is essential. The clinical advantages of DOACs can only be fully realized when the patient remains adherent to and persistent with their treatment.
Our article included 16 studies and found generally encouraging levels of objectively measured adherence following switching. 76%–97.5% of patients achieved a proportion of days covered (PDC) of 80% or higher.
However, treatment persistence was considerably more variable, ranging from 54% to 94%, highlighting an important opportunity for continued patient monitoring and adherence support.
Poor INR control and low time in therapeutic range were among the most frequently reported factors for switching from VKAs to DOACs.
Importantly, the variability in how adherence and persistence were defined and measured across studies reinforces the need for more standardized approaches to evaluating anticoagulation outcomes and for continued adherence-support strategies even after transitioning patients to DOAC therapy.
Sincere thanks to the whole research team, especially Mohammed Alfaqeeh and Ahmed Riyadh Alaqab, for their valuable contributions, dedication, and teamwork in this study.”
Title: Medication adherence and treatment persistence following switching from vitamin K antagonists to direct oral anticoagulants: a systematic review
Authors: Ahmed Alaqab, Mohammed Alfaqeeh, Rosnani Hashim, Maali Mustafa, Anas Hamad, Niveen M. E. Abu-Rmeileh, Rizky Abdulah, Sofa D. Alfian
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