* Anticoagulation therapy is essential in the prevention of thromboembolic events in a variety of patient groups, but has a high risk/benefit profile.

* Patient adherence and careful control of therapeutic levels of medication require frequent monitoring and good communication.

* An emerging model of care is nurse-managed anticoagulation clinics, which provide a focused and organized approach.

* This institution found that registered nurses were successful in providing consistent patient education and relationship-based care, which appear to improve compliance and minimize complications.

* The patient group that received the care of the nurse-managed anticoagulation clinic had ...