Journal of thrombosis and thrombolysis
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J. Thromb. Thrombolysis · Dec 2002
Reliability, validity and ease of use of a portable point-of-care coagulation device in a pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinic.
In a pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinic, portable point-of-care coagulation devices may facilitate patient monitoring by providing rapid INR measurement. Few studies, however, have validated this type of device. ⋯ When used by health professionals in a pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinic, the CoaguChek S is reliable, valid and easy to use. However, its validity tends to decrease as the INR increases, possibly due to the low sensitivity of the thromboplastin. If the CoaguChek S INR is supratherapeutic, we would therefore recommend confirming the results with a standard laboratory measurement.