Knowledge and Medication Adherence of Oral Anticoagulant-Taking Outpatients at Ha Dong General Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To assess the status of knowledge and adherence to oral anticoagulant use among outpatients in Ha Dong General Hospital. Subjects and methods: 82 outpatients who were prescribed vitamin K antagonists (VKA) or direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) in Ha Dong General Hospital from August 2024 to October 2024 and directly interviewed on knowledge and adherence to oral anticoagulant use by using the AKT and GMAS questionnaires, respectively. Both these questionnaires had been translated, validated, and culturally adapted for use in Vietnam. Results: The study sample had a mean age of 67.9 ± 11.8 years. Atrial fibrillation was the main indication for anticoagulant therapy (62.2%). The standardized knowledge score of the whole sample was 59.5 ± 13.7%, in which the DOAC group scored higher than the VKA group (60.7 ± 13.5% vs. 56.1 ± 14.2%). Regarding adherence, 82.9% of patients showed good adherence to oral anticoagulant use (PDC ≥ 80%). This rate was higher in the DOAC group (95.5%) compared to the VKA group (78.3%). Patients who received adequate counseling and clear instructions from physicians had 4.46 times higher adherence compared with others (OR = 4.46, 95% CI = 1.04–19.1, p = 0.044). The study indicated that outpatients had limited knowledge regarding oral anticoagulant use; however, their adherence to anticoagulant therapy was relatively good. Conclusions: Effective measures are needed to enhance patients’ knowledge about anticoagulant use, thereby contributing to the optimization of anticoagulant therapy and improving treatment quality.