NCT07159399

A Pharmacist-Led Education Program to Improve Adherence to Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Impact of a Pharmacist-Led Education Program on Medication Adherence and Treatment Effectiveness of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Enrolling By Invitation
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 400 (estimated)
• Sponsor: National Taiwan University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat) increases the risk of stroke, and patients are commonly treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). However, when patients do not take these medications regularly, the drugs may not work effectively, increasing health risks. In this study, called PharmAD-AF, specially trained pharmacists will meet with patients who have atrial fibrillation and are prescribed DOACs. They will offer personalized education and support to help patients take their medications as directed. Researchers will compare groups of patients who receive this pharmacist-led education versus those who receive usual care. The main goals are to assess whether pharmacist support improves how consistently patients take their DOACs and how well the treatment prevents strokes while avoiding the side effects of DOAC therapy. If successful, the study will demonstrate how pharmacist-led education can help patients stick to their treatment plan and reduce serious health risks, offering a practical way to improve heart-related care.

Conditions

• Atrial Fibrillation (AF)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Pharmacist-led patient education	Trained pharnacists will provide information on: (1) the indication and the reason of DOAC prescription, (2) the name and the appearance of the DOAC agent, (3) the dose, frequency, time of administration, (4) the mechanism of action, (5) management of missed doses, (6) potential side effects and self-monitoring, and (7) perioperative management. An education leaflet about DOACs will also be provided to improve patients' understanding about the use of DOACs.
OTHER	Usual Care	Patients in the usual care group will receive only usual care, without pharmacists providing additional DOAC education materials.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-03-05
• Primary completion: 2027-12-31
• Completion: 2031-12-31
• First posted: 2025-09-08
• Last updated: 2025-09-08

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Taiwan