The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on people with heart disease. They faced a higher risk of death and serious health problems. At the same time, healthcare services changed, with more remote check-ups being used, and changes in prescriptions and tests being requested also being observed.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent heart rhythm disturbance. AF results in disorganised electrical activity and contraction of the upper chambers of the heart. It is associated with cardiovascular complications like stroke and heart failure, and non-cardiovascular conditions like sepsis and cancer.
We want to study how patients with AF were affected by COVID-19, especially in terms of treatment and hospitalisations. We’ll compare data from before March 2020 to data from March 2020 onward. This will help us see if the pandemic worsened their health outcomes and whether any changes in treatment or care are needed.
This study will provide valuable insights into healthcare use among patients with atrial fibrillation. This is important for:
- Guiding national healthcare policies and resource allocation.
- Helping doctors focus on key health issues in AF patients as part of their care plans.
- Management not only of the AF, but also of associated cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular conditions and risk factors is recommended. Two of the suggested schemes for improving a holistic AF care management are ABC pathway and HEAD2TOES. However, despite being comprehensive, these schemes may not capture the full complexity and comorbidity profile of AF.
- Improving patient understanding of AF as a complex condition that affects both heart health and other body systems.