Today after placement I came home and did some self-directed study on INR’s as I wasn’t sure what this was. upon my research, I now know that INR stands for International Normalized Ratio. I understand that it is used by Nurses to monitor the ratio and effectiveness of anticoagulant medications such as heparin and warfarin that are taken subcutaneously; it also assesses the risk of bleeding. This is done by a blood sample from the vein which then goes to the laboratory and is tested to measure the time it takes for the blood to clot. The results will allow the Nurse to adjust the dosage of anticoagulant medications if necessary which will maintain the desired level of blood clotting.

Patients who would mainly need an INR are patients who are taking anticoagulant medications to help thin their blood for example patients with atrial fibrillation, DVT’s and PE’s. The normal range of INR is normally 0.9-1.1. The INR score is important because it tells the Nurse that the anticoagulation medication which the patient is taking is in the therapeutic range and stable.

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are anticoagulant drugs that are taken orally however, due to the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of DOACs they do not need monitoring as you can’t adjust the levels because they respond as a fixed dose.

Going forward, I feel like I have greatly developed my knowledge and feel more confident in understanding what an INR is.