What Exactly is Patient Self Testing?

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PTINR.com Staff

Patient Self-Testing, or Home Testing, is a term that refers to a patient's being able to check their own PT/INR. This allows for more frequent testing which helps increase your time in range and reduces dosing changes.

Prothrombin times must be monitored frequently in patients taking oral anticoagulants to determine the safest dose and to minimize the risk for complications.¹ The measurement of anticoagulation intensity is the international normalized ratio, often referred to as INR. Therapeutic ranges have been established as well as target ranges that represent the lowest risk for hemorrhage or complications.

If you take Coumadin® (warfarin), then you are familiar with having blood drawn and sent to a lab for results, but now portable coagulometers (INR monitors) are available for determining INR easily and reliably. This allows you to test yourself using a small device much like a glucose monitor for diabetes, having the results in seconds. It also affords the opportunity to test more often, weekly instead of monthly, providing the peace of mind that comes with knowing whether you are in range.

¹ _{Annals of Internal Medicine. (2005, 4 January). Comparing Self-Management of Oral Anticoagulant Therapy with Clinic Management. Volume 142. Number 1}