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Awareness campaigns of atrial fibrillation as an opportunity for early detection by pharmacists: an international cross-sectional study.
Journal article

Awareness campaigns of atrial fibrillation as an opportunity for early detection by pharmacists: an international cross-sectional study.

  • da Costa FA Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Instituto Universitário Egas Moniz (IUEM), Campus Universitário, Quinta da Granja, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511, Caparica, Portugal. alvesdacosta.f@gmail.com.
  • Mala-Ladova K Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Akademika Heyrovského, 1203/8, 500 05, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.
  • Lee V Centre for Learning Enhancement and Research, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong.
  • Tous S Sociedad Española de Farmacia Familiar y Comunitaria SEFAC, Travessera de Gràcia, 56, 08006, Barcelona, Spain.
  • Papastergiou J Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, 144 College St, Toronto, ON, M5S 3M2, Canada.
  • Griffiths D Westview Pharmacy, 5 Glendale Road, Glen Eden, Auckland, 0602, New Zealand.
  • Chaumais MC Faculté de Pharmacie, Hôpital Antoine Béclère, Université Paris-Sud, 157, Rue de la Porte de Trivaux, 92140, Clamart, France.
  • Hersberger KE Pharmaceutical Care Research Group, University of Basel, Pharmazentrum, Klingelbergstrasse 50, 4056, Basel, Switzerland.
  • Viola R Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, Zrínyi u. 9, Szeged, 6720, Hungary.
  • Paulino E Farmácia Nuno Álvares, Avenida D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, 39-C, Almada, Portugal.
  • Lobban T Atrial Fibrillation Association (AF Assoc)/ Arrhythmia Alliance (A-A), AF Association, Unit 6B, Essex House, Cromwell Business Park, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 5SR, UK.
  • Neubeck L School of Health and Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, Sighthil Campus, Sighthill Court, Edinburgh, EH11 4BN, Scotland, UK.
  • Freedman B Heart Research Institute, Charles Perkins Centre, University of Sydney, John Hopkins Dr, Camperdown NSW, Sydney, 2006, Australia.
  • Antoniou S Barts Health NHS Trust, UCL Partners, 9 Prescot Street Aldgate, London, E1 8PR, UK.
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  • 2019-11-30
Published in:
  • Journal of thrombosis and thrombolysis. - 2020
Atrial fibrillation
Awareness
Early detection of disease
Pharmacists
Pulse check
English Atrial fibrillation (AF) accounts for up to one third of strokes, one of the lead mortality causes worldwide. The European Society of Cardiology guidelines recommend opportunistic screening as a means to increase the odds of early detection and institution of appropriate treatment according to risk factors identified. However, in most countries there are various barriers to effective uptake of screening, including low awareness. The Atrial Fibrillation Association is a patient association engaged with raising awareness of AF. Establishing a partnership with the International Pharmacists for Anticoagulation Care Taskforce, we set as goals to test a model for raising awareness of AF involving pharmacists globally; and to identify barriers and enablers to its implementation. A cross-sectional study was conducted during the Arrhythmia Alliance World Heart Rhythm Week. Pharmacists from 10 countries invited individuals (≥ 40 years; without anticoagulation therapy of AF) to participate in the awareness campaign. Participants agreeing were engaged in the early detection of AF (EDAF) using pulse palpation. Individuals with rhythm discrepancies were referred and prospectively assessed to have information on the proportion of confirmed diagnosis, leading to estimate the detection rate. Interviews with country coordinators explored barriers and enablers to implementation. The study involved 4193 participants in the awareness campaign and 2762 in the EDAF event (mean age 65.3 ± 13.0), of whom 46.2% individuals were asymptomatic, recruited across 120 sites. Most common CHA2DS2-VASc risk factor was hypertension. Among 161 patients referred to physician, feedback was obtained for 32 cases, of whom 12 new arrhythmia diagnoses were confirmed (5 for AF, 2 for atrial flutter), all among elders (≥ 65 years). Qualitative evaluation suggested a local champion to enable pharmacists' success; technology enhanced engagement amongst patients and increased pharmacists' confidence in referring to physicians; interprofessional relationship was crucial in success. This study suggests pharmacists can contribute to greater outreach of awareness campaigns. Effective communication pathways for inter-professional collaboration were suggested enablers to gain full benefits of EDAF.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
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Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/232474
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