Digital dashboards for direct oral anticoagulant surveillance, intervention and operational efficiency: uptake, obstacles, and opportunities

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) are the most widely prescribed oral anticoagulants in the United States. Despite advantages over warfarin, system-level improvements are needed to optimize outcomes. While Veterans Health Administration and others have described successful DOAC management dashboard implementation, the extent of use nationally is unknown. A survey of Anticoagulation Forum's members was conducted to assess access to digital tools available within a dashboard and to describe implementation models. An Expert Forum was subsequently convened to identify barriers to dashboard development and adoption. Responses were received from 340 targeted recipients (8.5% of invitees). Only a minority of inpatient (25/52, 48.1%) and outpatient (47/133, 35.3%) respondents outside of Veterans Health Administration were able to generate rosters of DOAC users on-demand, and fewer had the ability to digitally display key clinical data elements, identify drug-related problems, document interventions, or generate reports. The lack of regulatory requirements regarding Anticoagulation Stewardship was identified by the Expert Forum as the major barrier to widespread development of digital tools for improved anticoagulation management. While some health systems have demonstrated the feasibility of DOAC dashboards and described their impact on quality and efficiency, these tools do not appear to be widely available in the United States apart from Veterans Health Administration. The lack of regulatory requirements for Anticoagulation Stewardship may be the primary barrier to the development of digital resources to better manage anticoagulants. Efforts to secure regulatory requirements for Anticoagulation Stewardship are needed, and evidence of improvements in clinical and financial outcomes through DOAC dashboard use will likely bolster such efforts.

Digital dashboards for oral anticoagulation management: a literature scoping review

This scoping review summarizes the extent and characteristics of the published literature describing digital population management dashboards implemented to improve the quality of anticoagulant management. A standardized search protocol was executed to identify relevant manuscripts published between January 1, 2015 and May 31, 2022. The resulting records were systematically evaluated by multiple blinded reviewers and the findings from selected papers were evaluated and summarized. Twelve manuscripts were identified, originating from 5 organizations within the US and 2 from other countries. The majority (75%) described implementation in the outpatient setting. The identified papers described a variety of positive results of dashboard use, including a 24.5% reduction of questionable direct oral anticoagulant dosing in one organization, a 33.3% relative improvement in no-show appointments in an ambulatory care clinic, and a 75% improvement in intervention efficiency. One medical center achieved a 98.4% risk-appropriate venous thromboembolism risk prophylaxis prescribing rate and 40.6% reduction in anticoagulation-related adverse event rates. The manuscripts primarily described retrospective findings from single-center dashboard implementation experiences. Digital dashboards have been successfully implemented to support the anticoagulation of acute and ambulatory patients and available manuscripts suggest a positive impact on care-related processes and relevant patient outcomes. Prospective studies are needed to better characterize the implementation and impact of dashboards for anticoagulation management. Published reports suggest that digital dashboards may improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of anticoagulation management. Additional research is needed to validate these findings and to understand how best to implement these tools.

Multimodal Postoperative Pain Control Is Effective and Reduces Opioid Use After Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

BACKGROUND

Opioids have been the mainstay for postoperative pain relief for many decades. Recently, opioid-related adverse events and death have been linked to postoperative dependency. Multimodal approaches to postoperative pain control may be part of the solution to this health care crisis. The safety and effectiveness of multimodal pain control regimens after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) has not been well studied. The primary aim of our study was to determine if an evidence-based, multimodal pain regimen during hospitalization could decrease the total oral morphine equivalent (TME) use after LRYGB.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a retrospective cohort study comparing outcomes prior to the implementation of a multimodal pain protocol (December 2010-December 2012) to those after implementation (April 2013-July 2015). The protocol utilized oral celecoxib and scheduled oral acetaminophen for pain control, with opioids used only as needed for breakthrough pain. Data was extracted from an electronic medical record and an institutionally maintained database of all patients undergoing bariatric surgery at a single center.

RESULTS

Compared to controls, the multimodal pain regimen significantly reduced TME used and maximum pain scores with no change in mean pain scores. Multimodal pain protocol patients had a shorter length of stay with no increase in bleeding complications or marginal ulcer rates.

CONCLUSIONS

An opioid-sparing multimodal pain regimen adequately controls pain while reducing TME use. The regimen appears to be safe and was associated with a reduced length of stay in patients undergoing LRYGB.