Adherence to antithrombotic therapy guidelines and atrial fibrillation in a rural hospital a clinical audit

Abstract

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor forischaemic stroke and a common presentation in general practice.Scoring systems to guide antithrombotic treatment have beenavailable since 1996, with the CHA2DS2 -VASC in current use;however, little is known about adherence to guidelines in ruralgeneral practice. The purpose of this study was to determinewhether patients in a rural population and with documentedhistory of AF are prescribed antithrombotic treatment according torecognised guidelines.Methods: A retrospective cohort study of inpatients was performed at a rural country hospital in South Australia. Allpatients with an ICD-10 CM code at the time of discharge wereselected from June 2008 to July 2013. This included both newlydiagnosed AF as well cases with existing history of AF.Results: Among the 59 patients studied, 77% of patients receivedappropriate anticoagulation according to CHADS2 score and 83%according to CHA2DS2-VASC score.Conclusions: This study confirms that the guidelines are routinelyfollowed in clinical practice in this rural population