Patient-reported treatment satisfaction measures for long-term anticoagulant therapy.

A comprehensive literature search identified seven instruments, of which three had psychometric data available. These were the 'Sawicki instrument', the Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Scale (DASS) and Deep Vein Thrombosis Quality of Life (DVTQoL). Sawicki assessed five domains with acceptable internal reliability. The six DVTQoL domains had good internal consistency, construct validity and reliability, although test-retest reliability and responsiveness have not been published. The DASS instrument covers three dimensions: limitations, burdens (i.e., negative impacts) and positive impacts. The burdens dimension correlated with short form-36 generic scales. The DASS had good internal consistency and item variability, and acceptable test-retest reliability and scale structure. DASS has the potential to help identify reasons for dissatisfaction and poor compliance across multiple models of care. Oral anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists affects patients' quality of life, and is further complicated by variations in compliance and ability to self-manage anticoagulation. This paper reviews instruments designed specifically to assess treatment satisfaction in patients receiving oral anticoagulation.