SUPPORT-AF IV: Supporting use of AC through provider prompting about oral anticoagulation therapy for AF clinical trial study protocol

BACKGROUND: Six million Americans suffer from atrial fibrillation (AF), a heart rhythm abnormality that significantly increases the risk of stroke. AF is responsible for 15% of ischemic strokes, which lead to permanent disability in 60% of cases and death in up to 20%. Anticoagulation (AC) is the mainstay for stroke prevention in patients with AF. Despite guidelines recommending AC for patients, up to half of eligible patients are not on AC. Clinical decision support tools in the electronic health record (EHR) can help bridge the disparity in AC prescription for patients with AF. OBJECTIVE: To enhance and assess the effectiveness of our previous rule-based alert on AC initiation and persistence in a diverse patient population from UMass-Memorial Medical Center and University of Florida at Jacksonville. METHODS/RESULTS: Using the EHR, we will track AC initiation and persistence. We will interview both patients and providers to determine a measure of satisfaction with AC management. We will track digital crumbs to better understand the alert’s mechanism of effect and further add enhancements. These enhancements will be used to refine the alert and aid in developing an implementation toolkit to facilitate use of the alert at other health systems. CONCLUSION: If the number of AC starts, the likelihood of persisting on AC, and the frequency alert use are found to be higher among intervention vs control providers, we believe such findings will confirm our hypothesis on the effectiveness of our alert.