Atrial Fibrillation and Patients' Understanding of Risks and Treatment for Stroke Risk Reduction

Abstract

Background. Arial Fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly encountered cardiac arrhythmia worldwide, and as the average lifespan prolongs, the foreseeable prevalence of AF is increasing (Barra & Fynn, 2015). Oral anticoagulation (OAC) has been identified as the standard treatment for preventing ischemic stroke in AF patients (Barra & Finn, 2014). Suboptimal OAC management has been attributed to lack of awareness and understanding of AF and its potential risks (Vilchez et al., 2014). Half of all US adults cannot read a book written at an eighth grade level, and 45 million are functionally illiterate and read below a 5th grade level (Birru et al, 2004). The ultimate goal of this Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) project is to provide AF patients with readable resources to improve understanding of atrial fibrillation and its risks. Methods. Twenty participants (7 with prior stroke) completed a 19-question survey about AF and a new education guide about AF, Atrial Fibrillation Made Simple; A Patient Education Guide 1.0. Literacy levels will also be described to better determine generalizability of study results. Results. The mean age of the participants was 73 + 6.89 years old, ranging from 58 to 85 years old. The predominant race was Caucasian (n= 16; 80%). Of the 18 participants completed (90%), the mean NVS was 5.11 + 0.34. A two-tailed paired t-test with unequal variance was performed to assess for significance. p= 0.26 indicating no significance in the obtained NVS scale literacy test for this project. Conclusions. Patients with AF are motivated to seek additional educational opportunities and prefer face-to-face time with their healthcare providers to further discuss components of AF and associated risks as well as management of risks and symptoms. Providing patients with an educational guide closer to the average US literacy level provided improved awareness about AF.