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Nurse-specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation.
NEPRAŠOVÁ, Eva
Introduction: Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia. The quality of atrial fibrillation treatment in clinical practice varies between hospitals and doctors. Due to the increasing prevalence of atrial fibrillation in the more elderly population, it might be difficult in the future to refer patients to a limited number of heart specialists. At the same time, a new generation of University educated nurses is growing, but, unfortunately, their competencies are as low as their colleagues' with high-school education. However, in some areas, such as diabetology or gastroenterology, specialist nurses, whose aim is to supplement medical doctors to some extent, are gradually occurring. In the Czech Republic, there are no specialist nurses in cardiology, even though they are quite common abroad. Our aim is to assess the feasibility of a specialist nurse for diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation. Methods: Main inclusion criterion for our study was a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation made on one of the non-internal medicine wards or in the general practitioners' practice. An exclusion criterion was previous examination by one of the heart specialists either internal medicine doctor or a cardiologist. During the first interview, I checked previous investigations for the atrial fibrillation and the arrhythmia treatment. The questionnaire contained questions on demographic parameters and patients' knowledge about their disease and possible complications. Subsequently, I recorded my recommendations regarding further investigations and therapeutic possibilites. All patients were sent to a cardiologist as required by our national guidelines. The second interview was made over the phone 2 months later and comparison of the doctor's recommendations with my suggestions was made. During this interview, an assessment of the concept of a nurse specialist in atrial fibrillation was performed. Results: Forty patients with atrial fibrillation documented on an ECG were recruited. At a time of the first interview, only 10 patients (25%) had their echocardiogram performed and only 23 (57,5%) patients had their thyroid gland hormones checked. 26 (65%) patients were on anticoagulation medicine while CHADS2-Vasc score of 2 and more was documented in 34 (85%) patients. There was an agreement between doctor's and nurse's recommendations regarding missing investigations and anticoagulation treatment. However, no agreement was achieved in the area of arrhythmia treatment, which means that this should remain a doctor's responsibility. Patients were informed about possible complications in only 11 (27,5%) cases and about all therapeutic options in 2 (5%) cases. 29 (72,5%) patients would be interested in consulting a specialist nurse in the future, whereas 11 (27,5%) patients would prefer a doctor. Results: We managed to confirm that the novel concept of a specialist nurse for the diagnosis and treatment of atrial fibrillation is feasible. The specialist nurse is able to confirm the diagnosis, check the completeness of the investigations, educate patients and assess the risk of the thromboembolic disease. Competencies of the nurses should be extended, so this concept could be introduced into the clinical practice.
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