The education and communication pillars of integrated care for atrial fibrillation (R-8524)

The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) is high and will only further increase during the following years. AF is associated with an increased morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need for a more structured and efficient care system for this growing AF population in order to reduce the burden on patients, society, the healthcare system and the economy. A proposed strategy is to deliver care through 'interdisciplinary nurse-led AF centers', that have shown to improve guideline-adherence and outcomes in a cost-effective way. Nevertheless, more research is needed concerning this topic. This project aims to evaluate which elements of integrated care contribute most to improved outcomes and how proven therapies can most effectively and most cost-efficiently be delivered to AF patients. We will focus on two main topics: 1) streamlined communication within the AF center, and between the AF center and different care givers (cardiologists, general practitioners, other specialists, ...); 2) targeted education of patients, aiming for more cost-efficient knowledge increase and better clinical outcomes.

Keywords:atrial fibrillation, communicatie, education, integrated care

Disciplines:Laboratory medicine, Palliative care and end-of-life care, Regenerative medicine, Nursing

Project type:Collaboration project