National survey of training and credentialing methods in pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics.

A national survey of pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics was conducted to determine how pharmacists are trained to provide care in such clinics. In June 1996 a survey was mailed to 177 pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics in the United States. A total of 128 surveys were returned (response rate, 72%). One hundred ten surveys representing 42 states and a variety of institutions were usable. Twenty-five (23%) of the 110 clinics offered an anticoagulation training program for their pharmacists. Most training programs had both didactic and experiential components and had been in existence for one to five years. Thirty-two (29%) of the 110 responding clinics had at least one pharmacist who had completed the ASHP Research and Education Foundation's Anticoagulation Service Traineeship. Twenty-three of the 25 clinics with a training program required successful completion of the program before a pharmacist could practice in the clinic. The overall quality of pharmacists' performance was regularly assessed by 22 of the 25 clinics. Most pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics in the United States do not offer formal training in anticoagulation therapy to pharmacists who practice in that setting.