Disclosures: Terence Hillery, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest

Objective: Guidelines exist for temporary discontinuation of anticoagulants for patients undergoing neuraxial procedures. Despite various methods of patient education and communication, procedures are cancelled due to patients continuing anticoagulants at the time of the procedure. Patients on anticoagulants were screened and surveyed at the time of the procedure to evaluate the cancellation rate as well as the most effective and preferred method of communication.

Design: Over a six-month period, 54 patients on anticoagulants were surveyed. Setting : Outpatient surgery center at an academic teaching institution Participants : 54 patients on anticoagulation scheduled for neuraxial procedure

Interventions: Survey of discontinuation and methods of communication that patients were provided and preferred.

Main Outcome Measures: 6 (11%) of the 54 patients on anticoagulation continued their medications and the neuraxial procedures were cancelled.

Results: Prior to the procedure, all the subjects were provided written and verbal communication detailing the temporary anticoagulant discontinuation. Of the 6 that continued their anticoagulation, 1 simply forgot while the rest did not remember being told or given the written instructions. Of the 48 who did temporarily discontinue the anticoagulation, all preferred the written instructions over verbal communication. Conclusions: Compliance is suboptimal despite verbal and written communication regarding anticoagulants prior to interventional pain procedures. Patients preferred written instructions. Use of reminders such as a verbal phone call, email or text messaging may improve compliance and should be studied.

Level of Evidence: Level III

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PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/compliance-and-methods-of-communication-regarding-anti-coagulants-prior-to-interventional-pain-procedures/