10.05.2010
A jaw-dropping piece of research was published last week on the power of putting patients in control.
Two things really stand out about it: the dramatic impact that the intervention had, and the extremely rigorous standard of proof it managed to satisfy.
A bit of background: Warfarin is an extremely common and useful drug that prevents clotting. Blood clots are often very dangerous: think stroke, embolism, DVT. Many patients are prescribed Warfarin to stop these life-threatening effects. But the dose needs to vary over time. Traditionally, patients go to their GP or hospital for regular blood tests, based on which a doctor determines the right dose.
Enter co-production. A number of doctors have experimented with letting patients do their own tests, and work out their own dosage.
The research published last week, by Carl Heneghan and Ami Banerjee of Oxford’s excellent Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, looked at the results of this. But it wasn't just any research: it was a Cochrane review update. The Cochrane Library is the gold-standard of clinical rigour, combining 18 separate trials in a definitive piece of research.
The results were impressive: a 50% reduction in clots, and a 36% reduction in deaths. Putting patients in charge works.
More info here. (Hat-tip to Alf Collins.)
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