One of the limitations of these drugs is their short half-lives (about 12 hours for all three drugs) . Thus, a single missed dose of DOACs regimen may result in suboptimal anticoagulation. Adequate adherence to DOACs is essential to achieve effective levels of anticoagulation. It has been reported that up to 28% of patients treated with dabigatan for AF had poor adherence (proportion of days covered <80%). In a recent study including 500 AF patients, 43% and 44% of them, respectively treated with VKA and DOACs, self-reported non adherence to their anticoagulation treatment . Lower adherence is associated with a greater risk for combined all-cause mortality and stroke in AF patients .