NICE issues guidance on self-monitoring for people on long-term warfarin therapy

[AFAssociation1]

Yesterday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued guidance recommending two new devices for NHS use by people on long-term warfarin therapy.

Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences with us ahead of the release of this importance guidance. You can learn more about what the guidance covers by visiting our website afa.org.uk

[feejbee]

Brilliant.What good news. Does this mean that I can now take a copy of the NICE guidelines to my surgery and they will let me self-test 'legally'.

I have been self-testing for the last year in between 10 week visits to the surgery and would be out of range several times if it wasn't for my Coaguchek machine.

As I have been one of the unlucky ones having had several AF related TIAs and a stroke I am passionate that INR monitoring is as quick and simple process for us to all be on top of all the time and self check is so easy ,I do it every 10 days or so.

It would be a real plus as well if I could receive the testing strips on prescription.

Thank you to the A.F.A for their campaigning .

Fi

[farmerwalt in reply to feejbee]

Hi feejbee,

Haven't looked at the article yet. I have been self testing for around 13 years now and self managing for 3 years.

However your comment about the test strips on prescription gets me annoyed with out NOT NATIONAL Health Service. It must be about 10 years ago that I had notification from Roche Diagnostics that the CoaguChek test strips were NOW AVAILABLE ON PRESCRIPTION. A visit to my GP, showed her the article AND I've had the test strips on 'script ever since. I live in Central Scotland and from reading similar posts about the test strips and self testing is what makes me comment that it is definitely NOT A NATIONAL Health Service. It very much depends on where in the UK you live.

OK, I'll get down off my "soap-box" again.

Hope you manage to start getting the strips on 'script SOON.

Keep well

Walter.

[feejbee in reply to farmerwalt]

Hi Walter

Thanks for the good wishes. You are so right it is a postcode lottery as to whether you receive the treatment or medicine that you need .I do appreciate that the way things are at the moment it is entirely my decision to use Coaguchek and I do receive regular INR checks on the NHS ,just to infrequently for my liking. Having said that I don't think it can be to good for my veins to have blood taken more frequently .That's another plus for Coaguchek,just a pinprick of blood and no veins involved.

Fi