urc mondor

<p><b>BACKGROUND: </b>Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) account for an increasing proportion of prescriptions in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) in primary care. Inappropriate dosing of DOACs is a common problem, with under-dosing being a particular issue. However, conflicting results have been reported about the factors independently associated with inappropriate dosing.</p><p><b>AIM: </b>To describe inappropriate prescriptions of DOACs among patients in the CACAO French nationwide general practice cohort, and to identify the factors independently associated with inappropriate DOAC doses.</p><p><b>DESIGN AND SETTING: </b>Cross-sectional baseline analysis of the CACAO French national multicentre prospective cohort of adult patients in primary care receiving an oral anticoagulant who were recruited between April and October 2014.</p><p><b>METHOD: </b>A total of 1111 patients from the CACAO cohort who received a DOAC for NVAF were included in this study. Inappropriate prescriptions of DOACs were described (inappropriate dosage, contraindications, non-indications, interactions, and non-compliance with the precautions for use). Multivariate logistic models were used to investigate factors associated with inappropriate DOAC dosing (under-dosing and over-dosing).</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Overall, 438 patients (39.4%) received at least one inappropriate DOAC prescription. The most common inappropriate prescription was inappropriate dosage ( = 374, 33.7%), particularly under-dosing ( = 348, 31.3%). Multivariate analysis revealed that factors independently associated with under-dosing were older age, prescription of apixaban or dabigatran, and a CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥2 vs. a score = 1. Factors with over-dosing were kidney failure, a HAS-BLED score ≥3, and older age.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION: </b>The appropriateness of DOAC prescribing for NVAF can be improved, especially in older patients, and in patients with kidney failure, a higher risk of ischaemic stroke, and/or a higher risk of bleeding. GPs have a key role in increasing the proportion of appropriate DOAC prescriptions via informational, educational, and/or management strategies.</p>