Patient was educated on how to interpret the INR results as follows: This lab is drawn on patient’s taking blood thinners upon doctor’s order. This reading is a measure of time taken for a person’s blood to clot. Normal result for a healthy adult is about 1.0. The target for patients on blood thinners is to manage the number between 2.0 – 3.0. If this number is too close to the normal (1.0), it indicates [...]

Nurse educated the patient and caregiver regarding the INR reading from PT/INR test as follows: Different labs use different PT tests and so, the results vary slightly from one another. Since these results are lacking a standardization, a new ratio was created using the PT result. This ratio is called INR (International Normalized Ratio), which allows a comparison between different lab results for PT with more accuracy. This reading is a measure of time taken [...]

Patient was educated on PT reading from the PT/INR test as follows: PT stands for prothrombin time. It is the time taken for a person’s blood to clot. This reading is measured in seconds. Normal result for a healthy adult is 11 – 14 seconds. Based on various factors, a person’s blood could be thin (difficult to clot) or thick (risk for an easy clot) and can result in altered readings from the usual normal. [...]

Patient was educated on warning signs when using anticoagulant as follows: Warfarin has the potential to cause some serious internal bleeds, which can result in the following findings that need immediate medical attention. Red or brown urine – secondary to bleeding in the urinary tract. Black or bloody stool – secondary to bleeding in the intestines. Severe stomach pain with vomiting of blood that looks like coffee grounds – Secondary to bleeding into the stomach. [...]

Patient was instructed that patients using anticoagulants are at an increased risk to bleed and any slightest injury can result in dangerous bleeding. Precautions to avoid injuries and consequent bleeding can be as follows: Watch for any red or dark brown urine and report this finding promptly to your doctor. Keep up with use of laxatives and other measures to prevent constipation. Avoid straining at stool, as this could result in profuse bleeding per rectum. [...]