Lived-experience team member: Optimising oral anticoagulant use

Who it’s for: Survivors of stroke
What it involves: Join a research team
Where: Online (Australia), in-person TAS

Summary

University of Tasmania researchers studying atrial fibrillation invite people with lived experience of stroke to join their team.

The study aims to:

1. Determine whether an atrial fibrillation (AF) alert sticker used by pharmacists when reviewing patients’ medications, with a subsequent collaborative discussion with doctors at admission, will decrease the proportion of patients with AF discharged with inappropriate oral anticoagulant (OAC) blood thinner therapy;
2. Determine the impact this has on unplanned rehospitalisation (with cause noted) within 90 days; and
3. Explore the barriers and enablers to implementation and uptake.

Eligibility

• People with a history of stroke-related atrial fibrillation and who are taking an oral anticoagulant (such as warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, and dabigatran)
• People who had a stroke before starting an oral anticoagulant therapy or those who experienced a stroke while taking an oral anticoagulant.

Activity

Lived-experience team members would contribute through reviewing the study plan and its progress, providing feedback and participating in research meetings and education workshops. The activities will be scheduled during 2025.

The time commitment involves:

• A one-hour monthly team meeting
• Six one-hour education workshops. In these workshops, lived experience team members will provide education for participants (healthcare providers) about their lived experiences.

Participation is flexible. Meetings and workshops can be attended online. The research team will arrange a taxi for people living in Hobart and closely assist with their travel. The team will allocate a research buddy for lived experience team members. The research buddy will assist with communicating about the project and its activities. A glossary of terms and acronyms will be prepared to ease communication.

In-person activities will be undertaken at Royal Hobart Hospital and University of Tasmania, Pharmacy Building, Sandy Bay Campus.

Contact

Wolde Bezabhe, Lecturer in Medication Safety, University of Tasmania
Phone: 03 6226 8312 (office)
Email: woldesellassie.bezabhe@utas.edu.au