Antibiotic treatment and major bleeding in anticoagulant medication users: analysis ofhealth record data to support safer monitoring and prescribing

The main oral anticoagulants used in the UK are warfarin and a group of drugs known as Direct Oral Anticoagulants, or DOACs. Their main use is to prevent blood clots and stroke in people with an irregular heart rhythm. Bleeding is the most serious complication of using anticoagulant medication. Several antibiotics are thought to interact with anticoagulants and increase the chance of a major bleed. However, the available research does not clearly identify which antibiotics are safe and prescribing advice is mostly based on anecdote. It is important to know which antibiotics increase the risk of bleeding to enable healthcare professionals to avoid potentially harmful antibiotics but appropriately prescribe those that are safe.

This project aims to determine the risk of major bleeding associated with antibiotic treatment in anticoagulant medication users and effectively disseminate the findings to improve care and help reduce the incidence of these adverse outcomes.