Curricular-driven screening for atrial fibrillation at community pharmacies

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Pharmacy Practice

Background:

• Atrial fibrillation (AF) significantly elevates stroke risk.
• Undiagnosed AF often presents asymptomatically, necessitating community-based screening.
• A sustainable model is required to detect unrecognized AF in the community.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a curriculum-driven model for AF screening in community pharmacies.
• Assess the feasibility and sustainability of using student pharmacists for AF detection.
• Examine the value and logistics of implementing AF screening in independent pharmacies.

Main Methods:

• Fourth-year pharmacy students conducted AF screenings during advanced pharmacy practice rotations.
• KardiaMobile, an FDA-cleared ECG device, was used for patient assessments.
• Semi-structured interviews with pharmacists evaluated program logistics, value, and sustainability.

Main Results:

• Over 7 months, 8 students screened 63 patients across 3 pharmacies, with most encounters under 10 minutes.
• 4.7% of screened patients (3 individuals) showed possible AF.
• Pharmacies reported high value (8.8/10) and professional (9.7/10) scores for the screening initiative.

Conclusions:

• Curriculum-integrated AF screening in community pharmacies is a feasible model.
• Student pharmacists offer a sustainable workforce for this clinical initiative.
• Further research on population-based AF detection is needed to confirm stroke risk reduction and potential reimbursement.