Provision of anticoagulant therapy management services by biomedical scientists

The Institute of Biomedical Sciences (the Institute) promotes and develops biomedical science and its practitioners.

By virtue of training and practice, biomedical scientists are able to provide all aspects of the management of oral anticoagulation.

The Institute supports the role of its biomedical scientists in such roles so long as:

the scientist is registered with the Health Professions Council,
he/she has been appropriately trained for the particular role and has been certified competent by suitable senior staff.
standard operating procedures approved by the clinical head of department are in place,
the responsibilities of individual scientists are clearly stated in writing by the clinical head of department, who is likely to be a consultant haematologist,
he/she shows evidence of continued professional development and learning in the field of anticoagulant management.

The Institute through its advisory panel is able to provide advice regarding the degree of responsibility taken by Biomedical Scientists in different roles in an oral anticoagulant service and the wording of such documents. Such different roles may be:

Overall management of the service
Generation of an INR
Recommendations to patients to continue or change their daily dose of oral anticoagulant. This is likely to be the responsibility of a senior biomedical scientist working to agreed protocols.

The Institute states categorically that a trainee biomedical scientist or a Medical Laboratory Assistant will not have sufficient experience to be able to contribute to the running of an oral anticoagulant service. However after suitable training and under appropriate supervision they would be capable of generation of the INR result.

Whilst the Institute speaks mainly for biomedical scientists, in many cases its position statements are likely to apply to other registered healthcare scientists. The Institute acknowledges that these practitioners may also in the position to be able to contribute to running an effective oral anticoagulant service.

Revised Haematology SAP 25/5/03 - to be reviewed late 2011.

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