Aijing Luo,1– 4 Juan Liu,1– 4 Yuzi Zhang,5 Yijia Long,6 Xuliang Chen7 

1Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 2Clinical Research Center For Cardiovascular Intelligent Healthcare in Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 3Key Laboratory of Medical Information Research (Central South University), College of Hunan Province, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 4Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 5School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 6Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China

Correspondence: Xuliang Chen, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China, Email chenxuliang@csu.edu.cn

Objective: To assess the knowledge level of physicians on anticoagulation management and identify their training needs to ensure the safety and efficacy of warfarin therapy among patients.
Methods: This project adopted convenient sampling and collected survey questionnaires online to investigate physicians’ management level in aspects such as basic anticoagulation knowledge, routine adjustment of warfarin dosage, and management of warfarin complications and special situations after mechanical valve replacement.
Results: Among the 232 participants in this survey, 158 were male (68.10%), and 74 were female (31.90%); Grade III hospitals accounted for 61.21%; cardiovascular medicine department accounted for 65.09%; primary, intermediate, and advanced title holders each accounted for about one-third. The respondents had a good foundation in warfarin anticoagulation knowledge, and most physicians could guide patients in anticoagulation treatment. However, there were still many respondents who answered incorrectly on some basic questions. Using the chi-square test, the analysis of the impact of gender, age, hospital level, department, education, and title on the knowledge level of warfarin anticoagulation found that gender had no statistical significance in all items; age, department, and title had statistically significant differences in the impact on the knowledge level of anticoagulation in the respondent (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The respondents have good anticoagulation knowledge on basic items, but some healthcare professionals have insufficient understanding of some items, such as the approximate time required for INR to reach a stable value and the use of warfarin in pregnant women, posing significant risks in clinical work. Relevant healthcare professional training should be strengthened on extended knowledge on warfarin.

Keywords: anticoagulation management level, heart valve replacement surgery, warfarin, survey questionnaire, training strategies