Provider Specialty, Anticoagulation Prescription Patterns, and Stroke Risk in Atrial Fibrillation.

ABSTRACT: Differences in anticoagulation rates and direct oral anticoagulant use by provider specialty may identify an area of practice improvement to reduce future stroke events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). We examined anticoagulant prescription fills in 388 045 (mean age, 68±15 years; 59% male) patients with incident AF from the MarketScan databases between 2009 and 2014. Provider specialty and filled anticoagulant prescriptions around the time of AF diagnosis (3 months before through 6 months after) were obtained from outpatient services and pharmacy claims. We estimated the association of provider specialty (cardiology versus primary care) with filling oral anticoagulant prescriptions, adjusting for patient characteristics. The risk of stroke and bleeding events also was explored.

SUBMITTER: O'Neal WT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5907557 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature