Dataset Information

Atrial Fibrillation Screen, Management, and Guideline-Recommended Therapy in the Rural Primary Care Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of eHealth Tools to Support All Stages of Screening.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND Internationally, most atrial fibrillation (AF) management guidelines recommend opportunistic screening for AF in people ≥65 years of age and oral anticoagulant treatment for those at high stroke risk (CHA₂DS₂-VA≥2). However, gaps remain in screening and treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS General practitioners/nurses at practices in rural Australia (n=8) screened eligible patients (≥65 years of age without AF) using a smartphone ECG during practice visits. eHealth tools included electronic prompts, guideline-based electronic decision support, and regular data reports. Clinical audit tools extracted de-identified data. Results were compared with an earlier study in metropolitan practices (n=8) and nonrandomized control practices (n=69). Cost-effectiveness analysis compared population-based screening with no screening and included screening, treatment, and hospitalization costs for stroke and serious bleeding events. Patients (n=3103, 34%) were screened (mean age, 75.1±6.8 years; 47% men) and 36 (1.2%) new AF cases were confirmed (mean age, 77.0 years; 64% men; mean CHA₂DS₂-VA, 3.2). Oral anticoagulant treatment rates for patients with CHA₂DS₂-VA≥2 were 82% (screen detected) versus 74% (preexisting AF)(P=NS), similar to metropolitan and nonrandomized control practices. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio for population-based screening was AU$16 578 per quality-adjusted life year gained and AU$84 383 per stroke prevented compared with no screening. National implementation would prevent 147 strokes per year. Increasing the proportion screened to 75% would prevent 177 additional strokes per year. CONCLUSIONS An AF screening program in rural practices, supported by eHealth tools, screened 34% of eligible patients and was cost-effective. Oral anticoagulant treatment rates were relatively high at baseline, trending upward during the study. Increasing the proportion screened would prevent many more strokes with minimal incremental cost-effectiveness ratio change. eHealth tools, including data reports, may be a valuable addition to future programs. REGISTRATION URL: https://www.anzctr.org.au. Unique identifier: ACTRN12618000004268.

SUBMITTER: Orchard J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7726973 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Atrial Fibrillation Screen, Management, and Guideline-Recommended Therapy in the Rural Primary Care Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of eHealth Tools to Support All Stages of Screening.

Orchard Jessica J Li Jialin J Freedman Ben B Webster Ruth R Salkeld Glenn G Hespe Charlotte C Gallagher Robyn R Patel Anushka A Kamel Bishoy B Neubeck Lis L Lowres Nicole N

Journal of the American Heart Association 20200831 18

BACKGROUND Internationally, most atrial fibrillation (AF) management guidelines recommend opportunistic screening for AF in people ≥65 years of age and oral anticoagulant treatment for those at high stroke risk (CHA₂DS₂-VA≥2). However, gaps remain in screening and treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS General practitioners/nurses at practices in rural Australia (n=8) screened eligible patients (≥65 years of age without AF) using a smartphone ECG during practice visits. eHealth tools included electronic ...[more]

PMID: 32865129

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Project description:IntroductionScreening for atrial fibrillation (AF) in people ≥65 years is now recommended by guidelines and expert consensus. While AF is often asymptomatic, it is the most common heart arrhythmia and is associated with increased risk of stroke. Early identification and treatment with oral anticoagulants can substantially reduce stroke risk. The general practice setting is ideal for opportunistic screening and provides a natural pathway for treatment for those identified.This study aims to investigate the feasibility of implementing screening for AF in rural general practice using novel electronic tools. It will assess whether screening will fit within an existing workflow to quickly and accurately identify AF, and will potentially inform a generalisable, scalable approach.Methods and analysisScreening with a smartphone ECG will be conducted by general practitioners and practice nurses in rural general practices in New South Wales, Australia for 3-4 months during 2018-2019. Up to 10 practices will be recruited, and we aim to screen 2000 patients aged ≥65 years. Practices will be given an electronic screening prompt and electronic decision support to guide evidence-based treatment for those with AF. De-identified data will be collected using a clinical audit tool and qualitative interviews will be conducted with selected practice staff. A process evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis will also be undertaken. Outcomes include implementation success (proportion of eligible patients screened, fidelity to protocol), proportion of people screened identified with new AF and rates of treatment with anticoagulants and antiplatelets at baseline and completion. Results will be compared against an earlier metropolitan study and a 'control' dataset of practices.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval was received from the University of Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee on 27 February 2018 (Project no.: 2017/1017). Results will be disseminated through various forums, including peer-reviewed publication and conference presentations.Trial registration numberACTRN12618000004268; Pre-results.

Project description:ObjectiveTo assess whether atrial fibrillation (AF) self-screening stations in general practice waiting rooms improve AF screening, diagnosis, and stroke risk management.Design, settingIntervention study (planned duration: twelve weeks) in six New South Wales general practices (two in rural locations, four in greater metropolitan Sydney), undertaken during 28 August 2020 - 5 August 2021.ParticipantsPeople aged 65 years or more who had not previously been diagnosed with AF, and had appointments for face-to-face GP consultations. People with valvular AF were excluded.InterventionAF self-screening station and software, integrated with practice electronic medical record programs, that identified and invited participation by eligible patients, and exported single-lead electrocardiograms and automated evaluations to patients' medical records.Main outcome measuresScreening rate; incidence of newly diagnosed AF during intervention and pre-intervention periods; prescribing of guideline-recommended anticoagulant medications.ResultsAcross the six participating practices, 2835 of 7849 eligible patients (36.1%) had face-to-face GP appointments during the intervention period, of whom 1127 completed AF self-screening (39.8%; range by practice: 12-74%). AF was diagnosed in 49 screened patients (4.3%), 44 of whom (90%) had CHA2 DS2 -VA scores of 2 or more (high stroke risk). The incidence of newly diagnosed AF during the pre-intervention period was 11 cases per 1000 eligible patients; during the intervention period, it was 22 per 1000 eligible patients (screen-detected: 17 per 1000 eligible patients; otherwise detected: 4.6 per 1000 eligible patients). Prescribing of oral anticoagulation therapy for people newly diagnosed with AF and high stroke risk was similar during the pre-intervention (20 of 24, 83%) and intervention periods (46 of 54, 85%).ConclusionsAF self-screening in general practice waiting rooms is a feasible approach to increasing AF screening and diagnosis rates by reducing time barriers to screening by GPs. AF self-screening could reduce the number of AF-related strokes.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12620000233921 (prospective).

Dataset Information

Atrial Fibrillation Screen, Management, and Guideline-Recommended Therapy in the Rural Primary Care Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of eHealth Tools to Support All Stages of Screening.

Publications

Atrial Fibrillation Screen, Management, and Guideline-Recommended Therapy in the Rural Primary Care Setting: A Cross-Sectional Study and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of eHealth Tools to Support All Stages of Screening.

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