Long-term adherence to direct acting oral anticoagulants and the influence of health beliefs after switching from vitamin-K antagonists: Findings from the Switching Study

Switching non-adherent patients prescribed anticoagulant treatment to a regime with less monitoring could lead to significant non-adherence. Health beliefs are known to influence medication adherence; however, the extent of this influence is unknown in patients switched from vitamin-K antagonists (VKAs) to direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). This study aimed to determine adherence to long-term therapy in patients switched from VKAs to DOAC due to low time in therapeutic range (TTR) and if adherence is associated with health beliefs. The Switching Study is a longitudinal observational cohort study following patients for at least 1-year. 254 patients anticoagulated with VKAs for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) or secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and TTR