On-Demand
Anticoagulation Patient Self-Testing Educator

Anticoagulation Patient Self-Testing Educator Certificate Program

The incidence of chronic diseases in the United States has led to an increase in the number of patients requiring long-term oral anticoagulation therapy. Traditionally, patients requiring anticoagulation therapy had to receive care and have blood work drawn at specifically designated anticoagulation clinics, doctors' offices, or hospital laboratories. The frequency of visits along with travel considerations can place additional burdens on patients and their caregivers. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed and approved reimbursement programs for patient home monitoring of their blood work, the INR (International Normalized Ratio). The result has been a sharp increase in the use of home monitoring devices which require intense education and instruction. Thus the need to have well-prepared individuals to serve as home trainers to instruct patients in the use of home monitoring devices.

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Who Should Enroll in this Program?

This program is designed for English-speaking nurses who will be involved in teaching patients how to monitor their anticoagulation blood work in the home setting. Other members of the healthcare team who have or want to prepare for the responsibility of teaching patients how to monitor and manage anticoagulation therapy at home may be interested in the content as well.

Learning Outcome

The learning outcome of this program is to enable the learner to successfully identify, teach, and support patients who will perform self-testing for anticoagulation therapy based on current therapeutic guidelines and best practice through interprofessional collaborative practice.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:

1. Define the terms platelet adhesion, platelet activation, and platelet aggregation.
2. Describe the general process of hemostasis, including the sequence of the three stages that prevent blood loss.
3. Define the intrinsic and extrinsic systems and identify major factors in each system.
4. Identify mechanisms of thrombus formation.
5. Identify factors that influence abnormal clotting.
6. List symptoms that could indicate abnormal clot formation.
7. Identify potential hazardous areas in client environment.
8. Identify client physical findings that require client call to primary healthcare provider.
9. Identify client clinical findings that require immediate 911.
10. Define the elements and process of evaluating the adult learner.
11. Identify the importance of utilizing principles of adult learning in the development of a teaching plan for patients receiving anticoagulation therapy.
12. Perform an assessment of the patient's unique need for education based on multiple factors including knowledge base, readiness and ability to learn.
13. Develop a teaching plan that includes teaching/learning styles/strategies, resources, and content outline.
14. Document all phases of the educational process including needs assessment and implementation of the teaching plan.
15. Assimilate evidence-based interprofessional collaborative practice.

Criteria for Successful Completion

• Submit registration and payment.
• A certificate for contact hours will be provided following the successful completion of the study guides for each module, receiving a passing score of 70% or better on the comprehensive final exam and submission of the program evaluation. 

The certificate of completion will be sent via email within two weeks following the completion of the program.

Contact Hours (10 Contact Hours)

Ten contact hours

The University of Southern Indiana Center for Health Professions Lifelong Learning designates this activity for 10 contact hours for nurses.

Successful completion of this program does not guarantee expertise in the content. Clinical experience and judgment, coupled with an understanding of the content, are necessary to attain competency. Achieving certification via a designated professional organization is an additional step to demonstrate competency.

Enrollment Cost - $250

The fee includes access to the program, along with all resources and handouts. A textbook, if applicable, is not included in the fee.

If registering by invoicing your employer, program access may be granted after payment is received. There is a $25.00 fee to invoice.

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Refund Policy

A $75 administrative fee will be charged prior to accessing the program. No refund will be provided after the program has been accessed.

Questions? Call toll-free 1-877-USI-HLTH (874-4584) or 812-461-5217 or email usi1nhpcert@usi.edu