Coumadin Clinic is a clinic designed to assist the providers and their
patients who take the anticoagulant drug known as Coumadin or Warfarin
(generic name) with education and finger stick blood testing.
In the clinic, we educate patients about:
the drug and its interactions with other drugs and foods that patients eat;
the uses of the drug and the reason they are taking it;
the expected effects of the drug;
the importance of monitoring the drug level by finger-stick testing on
a regularly-scheduled basis; and
·other important aspects of being on the drug Coumadin.
Your cardiologist will enroll you in the clinic if he (she) is prescribing
Coumadin as part of your treatment.
At the first visit, the nurses will ask you for some specific information
about your health history as it relates to bleeding disorders, and about
any medications, both prescription and over the counter, that you are taking.
Preparation:
No special preparation is needed. The initial visit will take about 45
minutes. Each follow up visit takes approximately 15 minutes.
Take your medication (Coumadin) as directed by your physician or the clinic nurses.
Do not self adjust this medication.
Be sure to keep your scheduled appointment - it is important to have a
blood test on a regular schedule.
If you must miss your appointment, please call us as soon as possible to
reschedule it. We can use that time slot for another patient. It is important
that you be seen close to the originally-scheduled appointment date.
During the test:
The nurse will call you from the waiting room.
Your blood pressure, heart rate and weight will be recorded at the beginning
of each visit.
The nurse will ask you specific questions at each visit to determine any
problems or issues that may be associated with taking Coumadin, or that
may influence the results of the test at that visit.
The nurse will cleanse your finger with an alcohol swab and perform a quick
fingerstick to obtain a small drop of blood.
The blood drop will be placed on a test strip (similar to a blood sugar
test strip) and inserted into the machine.
The nurse will place a pressure band-aid over the finger stick site for you.
Within a few seconds, the machine will perform the test and flash the results
onto the display on the machine.
The nurse will let you know the results and discuss any issues. If your
Coumadin dosage needs to be adjusted, the nurse will give you new instructions
for the dosage to take until your next visit.
The nurse will record the blood test results, along with any other pertinent
information, on a test record.
Based on the test results and guidelines established by our physicians,
a return appointment time frame will be stated.
If your test is too low or too high, you will need to return promptly for
the next test.
If your test is within the right range, you will come back for retesting
in a month’s time.
After the test:
You will check out at the cashier window and receive your return appointment
date and time.
You may call the nurses at the clinic at any time if you are having a problem
related to your Coumadin dose, or you are having symptoms that they have
told you to report. If they do not answer the phone, they are with a patient.
Please leave them a voice mail message with your name and phone number,
and they will return your call.
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