Defining the duration of the dispensation of oral anticoagulants in administrative healthcare databases.

In our settings, the data-driven approach closely approximated the recorded days supplied value for the standard dose therapies such as dabigatran and rivaroxaban. For warfarin, the data-driven approach captured more variability in the duration of dispensations compared to the days supplied value, which may better reflect the true drug-taking behavior of warfarin. Both approaches may provide valid estimates when comparing the safety of DOACs versus warfarin.