Atrial fibrillation care: challenges in clinical practice and educational needs assessment.

BACKGROUND: Current debates around the choice of management strategy for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) combined with limited efficacy and frequent adverse effects of current pharmacotherapies cause uncertainty and confusion, challenging optimal care delivery to AF patients. OBJECTIVES: To determine gaps in knowledge, skill, and competencies of Canadian physicians caring for patients with AF as well as underlying causes of these gaps. METHODS: A mixed-method approach --consisting of qualitative (semistructured interviews) and quantitative data collection techniques (online survey) --was conducted. Findings were triangulated to ensure the reliability and trustworthiness of findings. The combined sample (n = 161) included 43 family physicians/general practitioners, 23 internal medicine specialists, 48 cardiologists, 28 emergency physicians, 14 neurologists, and 5 patients. RESULTS: Gaps and barriers impeding optimal care were related to an unclear definition of AF, uncertainty of its pathophysiology, and knowledge gaps across the care continuum, including screening, diagnosis, and treatment. Clinical decision-making, individualized patient therapy, communication with patients and between professionals, and application of guidelines were found to be particularly challenging. These issues are discussed in the context of the newly revised Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) AF Guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Educational gaps exist across the entire continuum of care. Results from this study, along with the 2011 CCS guidelines for AF management, provide direction for solutions through physician education and professional development.

Improved cardiovascular prevention using best CME practices: a randomized trial.

INTRODUCTION: It was hypothesized that after a continuing medical education (CME) event, practice enablers and reinforcers addressing main clinical barriers to preventive care would be more effective in improving general practitioners' (GPs) adherence to cardiovascular guidelines than a CME event only. METHODS: A cluster-randomized trial was conducted on a convenience sample of 122 GPs who were randomly assigned to either CME only (control group) or CME with practice enablers and reinforcers (PER group). In the PER group, nurses visited GPs' offices once a month to implement the clinical intervention on patients > or = 55 years old with a scheduled visit in the month following the nurse visit: (1) screening medical records for potentially undermanaged high-risk patients; (2) prompting physicians to reassess preventive care in these patients; (3) enclosing a checklist reporting most recent information relevant to guidelines' implementation; and (4) enclosing a summary of experts' recommendations in the form of a follow-up and treatment algorithm. RESULTS: A retrospective chart audit of 2344 consenting patients, potentially undermanaged at baseline, demonstrated that the PER intervention following CME significantly improved adherence to guidelines compared to CME alone (OR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.32-2.41). DISCUSSION: The intervention was designed for self-implementation in primary care practices that have their own nursing staff. PER GPs were highly satisfied with the intervention; the majority said that they would implement it in their practice if someone trained their nurse, thus suggesting support for development of a multiprofessional CME program to disseminate this clinical approach to primary care practice groups.