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Published on: February 26, 2013

Atrial fibrillation in a primary care practice: prevalence and management

Lance Ceresne1, Ross E Upshur

  • 1Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. nessa.bayer@primus.ca

BMC Family Practice
|May 29, 2002
PubMed

Insights

This study found a high prevalence of atrial fibrillation (3.9%) in primary care, with 78.2% of patients receiving warfarin for stroke prevention, exceeding previous reports.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Primary Care Medicine
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Atrial fibrillation is a prevalent and serious cardiac arrhythmia.
  • Understanding its prevalence and management in primary care is crucial for patient outcomes.
  • This study addresses the need for data on atrial fibrillation prevalence and stroke prevention strategies in a primary care setting.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of atrial fibrillation within a primary care population.
  • To identify and quantify the treatments used for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation.
  • To compare findings with existing literature on prevalence and treatment coverage.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective chart audit was conducted in a family medicine practice.
  • The study focused on identifying patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation.
  • Key outcome measures included the prevalence of atrial fibrillation and the utilization of warfarin for stroke prevention.

Main Results:

  • A total of 261 patients with atrial fibrillation were identified, representing an overall prevalence of 3.9%.
  • Prevalence increased significantly in older populations, reaching 12.2% in patients aged 60 and over.
  • Warfarin was prescribed to 78.2% of patients with atrial fibrillation for stroke prevention, a rate higher than previously reported.

Conclusions:

  • The prevalence of atrial fibrillation in this primary care practice is higher than generally reported in the literature.
  • Stroke prevention treatment coverage with warfarin in this population surpasses previous findings.
  • These results highlight the importance of proactive management of atrial fibrillation in primary care.
Abstract

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