Assessing outcome measures of oral anticoagulation management in children

The complexities of managing oral anticoagulation therapy in children have been well described and various management strategies have been designed to optimise clinical outcomes within this challenging population. To date, outcome measurements used within paediatric studies investigating oral anticoagulant management have focused upon achieving therapeutic range and examining the incidence of medication-related adverse events. Whilst the reporting of such data is a priority, the relatively small number of children participating in clinical studies of oral anticoagulant management and the difficulties associated with conducting multi-centre interventional trials in such populations limit the ability of researchers to measure the significance of interventions made. This review examines current methods of reporting outcomes for paediatric oral anticoagulation management and identifies how the inclusion of quality of life as an outcome measure may strengthen the methodology of research aimed at measuring the impact of management interventions within the field of paediatric oral anticoagulant therapy.