Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Intensive Medical Follow-up with an Advanced Practice Nurse Compared with Medical Follow-up Alone in Non-severe Pulmonary Embolism.

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Routine follow-up: As recommended: a vascular doctor exclusively, face-to-face consultations.

Intensive follow-up: a vascular physician and an IPA, with alternating face-to-face and remote consultations.

Study summary

In France, venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep-vein thrombosis (DVT), is the 3rd leading cause of cardiovascular disease, leading to major public health problems. Despite current monitoring and treatment, the recurrence rate and the rate of haemorrhagic complications remain high, at 18.5% and 12% respectively in the year following the thrombotic event.

Patients with PE diagnosed in the emergency department are very often admitted to hospital.

However, according to international recommendations on the treatment of PE, outpatient management with early discharge could be envisaged but is rarely carried out in practice, particularly for non-severe PE (spESI = 0).

Current post-pulmonary embolism follow-up involves an early medical consultation with a specialist after discharge from hospital, with follow-up at 1, 3 and 6 months. The aim is to evaluate anticoagulant treatment (high-risk medication), investigate the causes of PE, monitor the patient and decide whether or not to continue anticoagulant treatment 6 months after diagnosis.

Patients diagnosed with non-severe PE can only be monitored as soon as they are discharged from hospital, thanks to an organised and specific care pathway involving healthcare professionals working in towns and cities as well as in hospitals.

In 2018, the French authorities created a new healthcare profession, the advanced practice nurse (APN). They are said to be one of the \'answers\' to making care pathways, including PE, even more relevant by improving the quality of patient care and strengthening the town-hospital link.

Thanks to their training and expertise, IPAs can carry out the following activities:

* Observation, collection and interpretation of data in the context of patient monitoring in his/her area of expertise;
* Prescribing, renewing prescriptions and carrying out technical procedures as part of patient follow-up in their area of expertise;
* Designing, implementing and evaluating preventive and therapeutic education measures.

Thus, by intervening at specific times throughout the course of a patient\'s diagnosis of a non-severe PE, the involvement of the IPA in the patient\'s follow-up, in addition to current recommendations, would make it possible to reduce the risk of haemorrhagic complications associated with the use of anticoagulants.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Proportion of minor and major bleeds — Through study completion, on average of 7 months
  ISTH definition of haemorrhage

Trial sites (1)

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