Practitioner acceptance of the dofetilide risk-management program.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the opinions and knowledge retention of practitioners after participation in the dofetilide risk-management program. DESIGN: A 21-item questionnaire. SETTING: A large academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred forty-six practitioners were given the questionnaire; 91 (62%) completed it. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The questionnaire assessed practitioners' opinions of the program and guidelines, preparation time for implementing dofetilide treatment, and retention of facts from the program. Responses were graded on a 5-point Likert scale. Practitioners took a mean of 0.86 +/- 0.44 hours to complete the program; physicians took the least time, pharmacists the most. Practitioners agreed the program was necessary but were undecided about whether the guidelines were easily understood or implemented. Nurses answered one of the two knowledge-retention questions incorrectly significantly more often than physicians or pharmacists. Identification of seven drugs that should not be taken with dofetilide differed significantly (p < 0.0001) across groups (mean accuracy score was 41% for nurses, 80% for pharmacists, and 86% for physicians). CONCLUSION: This risk-management program has been well received by practitioners at our institution. We are gathering data to determine whether the program is effective in reducing inappropriate administration of dofetilide.

Duke Scholars

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