Atrial Fibrillation – Impact of Stroke Survey Resources

In November 2014, the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) and National Stroke Association, in collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), shared results from a survey of more than 1,200 respondents to evaluate the impact of AFib and stroke on patients and caregivers, and the concurrent perceptions physicians have about treatment options and their patients’ understanding of issues surrounding the condition.

Specifically, the survey uncovered

• communication barriers,
• challenges with patient education,
• misperceptions about treatment compliance, and
• outcomes related to the impact of stroke on one’s life.

Survey Results

Physicians cite the following as the top three challenges and common barriers to patient education:

• Patient feels risk of AFib-related stroke goes away once symptoms are being treated
• Patient thinks risks outweigh the benefits for medications reducing the risk of AFib-related stroke
• Patient has trouble understanding what is being explained

As for compliance, the concern about risk of bleeding is the greatest barrier to patient treatment compliance perceived by electrophysiologists and cardiologists, and monitoring anticoagulant effect is the most common perceived barrier to neurologists and general practitioners. Furthermore, 33 percent of cardiologists and 48 percent of electrophysiologists identified patient resistance as one of their top three greatest barriers to therapy initiative.