Improvement in the Management of Oral Anticoagulation in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation in Primary Health Care

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2022-05, Vol.19 (11), p.6746
• Main Authors: García-Roy, África, Sarsa-Gómez, Ana, Méndez-López, Fátima, Urdin-Muñoz, Blanca, Sánchez-Calavera, María Antonia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Antagonists; Anticoagulants; Anticoagulants - therapeutic use; Atrial Fibrillation - complications; Atrial Fibrillation - drug therapy; Atrial Fibrillation - epidemiology; Cardiac arrhythmia; Clinical medicine; Electronic health records; Fibrillation; Fibrinolytic Agents - therapeutic use; Health care; Health care facilities; Heart failure; Humans; Hypertension; Mortality; Patients; Phylloquinone; Population; Population studies; Primary care; Primary Health Care; Prospective Studies; Public health; Risk assessment; Stroke - prevention & control; Thromboembolism; Vitamin K
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19116746

(1) Background: Evaluation and improvement of the management of patients with atrial fibrillation in treatment with oral anticoagulants from primary health care. (2) Methods: prospective quasi-experimental study, conducted on 385 patients assisted with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) at the Las Fuentes Norte Health Center, before and after the implementation of actions to improve oral anticoagulants management from October 2015 to July 2017. (3) Results: The ACO-ZAR I study revealed that the population with AF presents a global prevalence of 1.7%, an indication of oral anticoagulants of 92.1%, undertreatment of 24%, suboptimal control of vitamin K antagonists of 43%, use of antiaggregant as primary prevention of 13.42%, and primary health care monitoring of 34%. The implementation of activities aimed at improving the management of oral anticoagulants in the ACO-ZAR II study achieves a reduction in undertreatment up to 16%, in the use of antiaggregant up to 9%, and in suboptimal control up to 30%, as well as an increase in control from primary health care up to 69.2% and of the penetrance of direct oral anticoagulants up to 28%. (4) Conclusions: In conclusion, the application of activities aimed at optimizing the management of oral anticoagulants in health center patients allowed the improvement of risk assessment and registration, undertreatment, use of antiaggregant, suboptimal control of vitamin K antagonists, control by primary health care center, and the penetrance of direct oral anticoagulants.