Summary

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart condition that causes an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) and sometimes an abnormally fast heart rate. AF happens when the electrical impulses in the top two chambers of the heart (the atria) fire chaotically when they should be steady and regular. This causes the atria to quiver or twitch (fibrillation).

Symptoms

Common symptoms are AF are:

• Feeling like the heart is fluttering or racing (palpitations)
• Chest pain
• Dizziness or feeling faint
• Shortness of breath
• Tiredness

Care pathways

This pathway is designed to regularly ensure patients with AF are taking the appropriate medication to reduce the risk

1️⃣ Book the appointment

1. We are using a combination of platforms / tools / teams to book patients in correctly with minimal manual effort. If @Louis Williams hasn’t already been in touch, check out the page to find our Monthly Summary plans or reach out to him to find out what you should be doing:
• If we’re using Hippo Labs, log into app.hippolabs.co.uk to find patient lists (see for more information)
• If we’re using Hero Health or AccuRX, @Louis Williams will send your team manual excel recall lists

2. Call the patient to book appointments with a HCA (F2F) & Pharmacist

2️⃣ Data Collection

1. Load clinical template: Penrose Health - Atrial Fibrillation
2. Calculate BMI and Measure Blood Pressure, Heart Rate & Rhythm (Manual), Smoking history, Alcohol, & PHQ4
3. Take DOAC Bloods: TSH, FBC, Renal Profile, LFTs & HbA1c

3️⃣ Medication Review

1. Open ‘AF Advisor’ template
• Ensure all Data Quality entries have a recent value (<1 Month)
• Review the indicative CHA2DS2-VASc Score, and enter into the Final Score
2. Record estimated Creatinine Clearance using template ‘Estimated Creatinine Clearance (Cockcroft Gault)’
3. Load clinical template in patient’s notes: Penrose Health - Atrial Fibrillation
4. Complete Medication Review
5. Check SPS Guidance for any further monitoring requirements
6. Use 📡Consultant Connect if further advice needed