Skip to main content

Pharmacist Prescribing Can Reduce Stroke Risk in A-Fib Patients

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 1, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Aug. 1, 2024 -- Community pharmacists can play an effective role in closing gaps in the delivery of stroke risk reduction therapy by prescribing appropriate oral anticoagulation therapy (OAC) for high-risk older individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a study published online July 24 in JAMA Network Open.

Roopinder K. Sandhu, M.D., from the Libin Cardiovascular Institute at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and colleagues investigated whether pharmacist-led OAC prescription can increase the delivery of stroke risk reduction therapy in individuals with AF compared with usual care. The analysis included 70 patients (aged 65 years and older) with AF and high stroke risk identified at 27 community pharmacies.

The researchers found that guideline-concordant OAC use at three months occurred in 92.3 percent in the early pharmacist intervention group versus 56.1 percent in the control group. Results yielded an absolute increase of 34 percent, with a number needed to treat of three. Of the 23 individuals in the control group who received appropriate OAC prescription, for six patients, the primary care provider called the pharmacist for prescribing advice.

"This study provides evidence of a potentially high-yield opportunity to effectively close gaps in the delivery of stroke risk reduction therapy for AF," the authors write. "Scalability and sustainability of pharmacist OAC prescription will require larger trials demonstrating effectiveness and safety."

Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Editorial

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted August 2024

Read this next

Shorter Leukocyte Telomere Length Linked to Higher Incidence of Age-Related Brain Diseases

THURSDAY, June 12, 2025 -- Individuals with shorter leukocyte telomere length (LTL) have a higher incidence of stroke, dementia, and late-life depression (LLD), individually and...

Talking Therapy Reduces Depression, Anxiety Symptoms in Stroke Survivors

THURSDAY, June 12, 2025 -- For stroke survivors, talking therapy is associated with moderate reductions in depression and large reductions in anxiety symptoms, according to a...

P2Y12 Inhibitor Monotherapy Beneficial for Patients Who Undergo PCI

FRIDAY, June 6, 2025 -- For patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and discontinue dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy is...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.