Roche Launches PT/INR Home Monitoring App

Roche today announced the launch of the CoaguChek XS mPOC app for use with the CoaguChek XS meter. The new app makes the Bluetooth-enabled PT/INR reporting offered by CoaguChek Patient Services even more convenient and accessible by allowing patients to use their own iOS device (iPhone or iPad). The app is available exclusively to patients who test PT/INR with the support of CoaguChek Patient Services. Wireless-enabled patient self-testing with CoaguChek Patient Services enables HCPs to confidently monitor accurately-reported patient PT/INR data remotely, while further reducing time and effort involved for patients and often caregivers.
 
Why Convenience Matters
More convenient testing should help patients adhere with their prescribed PT/INR testing frequency. It has been proven that patients that adhere to their monitoring schedule spend more time in their therapeutic range, which results in lower incidence of stroke¹ or bleeding.² From a test frequency standpoint, data shows that 50–60% of patients can be expected to remain in their target range if monitoring of INR occurs monthly, 77–85% if monitored weekly and up to 92% if monitored every three days.³ Patients who spend a high proportion of time (> 70%) in the therapeutic range achieve better clinical outcomes.^4,5
 
Evidence suggests that patients who have a strong connection with their healthcare professional adhere better to their anticoagulant therapy plan.³ The CoaguChek XS mPOC kit helps enhance the relationship between patients and their healthcare providers. Patients enjoy increased convenience through PT/INR self-testing and physicians can be more confident they can optimize treatment decisions effectively as they have access to accurate patient data in near real-time.
 
“As healthcare systems face continued pressure to deliver improved access to care at a lower cost, increased connectivity between HCPs and patients becomes even more important,” said Jennifer Zinn, Senior Vice President of Point of Care, Roche Diagnostics. “This innovative solution also supports making patient self-testing a standard of care to monitor warfarin therapy.”
 
Usual care or management of patients on warfarin therapy includes up to weekly visits to the lab or doctor’s office for PT/INR testing—usually with a venipuncture (blood drawn from a vein) and 2-3 day wait for the lab results. The CoaguChek XS mPOC kit engages patients in their care with a simple finger stick and 60-second test with just a drop of blood giving patients the independence to continue their normal daily activities and quality of life while maintaining connections with their HCPs. The result is automatically communicated via Bluetooth to the CoaguChek mPOC app on the patient’s iPhone or iPad which transmits the result to CoaguChek Link—an online PT/INR data management solution.⁶ The managing clinician can then use CoaguChek Link to access—and act on—the results.
 
References
¹Heneghan C, Ward A, Perera R, et al. Self-monitoring of oral anticoagulation: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data. Lancet. 2012;379:322-334.
²Heneghan, C., Alonso-Coello, P., Garcia-Alamino, J.M., Perera, R., Meats, E., Glasziou, P. (2006). Self-monitoring of oral anticoagulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet 367, 404–411.
³Khan TI, Kamali F, Kesteven P, Avery P, Wynne H. The value of education and self-monitoring in the management of warfarin therapy in older patients with unstable control of anticoagulation. Br J Haematol. 2004;126(4):557-654.
⁴Gallagher, A.M., Setakis, E., Plumb, J.M., Clemens, A., van Staa, T.-P. (2011). Risks of stroke and mortality associated with suboptimal anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation patients. Thromb Haemost 106, 968–977.
⁵Wan, Y., Heneghan, C., Perera, R., Roberts, N., Hollowell, J., Glasziou, P. et al. (2008). Anticoagulation control and prediction of adverse events in patients with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 1, 84–91.
⁶Internet availability required for wireless reporting