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Daly DJ, Essien UR, Del Carmen MG, Scirica B, Berman AN, Searl Como J, Wasfy JH. Race, ethnicity, sex, and socioeconomic disparities in anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation: A narrative review of contemporary literature. J Natl Med Assoc 2023; 115:290-297. [PMID: 36882341 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnma.2023.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most prevalent arrhythmia in the United States and is responsible for 1 in 7 ischemic strokes. While anticoagulation is effective at preventing strokes, prior work has highlighted significant disparities in anticoagulation prescribing. Furthermore, racial, ethnic, sex, and socioeconomic disparities in AF outcomes have been described. As such, we aimed to review recent data on disparities with respect to anticoagulation for AF published between January 2018 and February 2021. The search string consisted of 7 phrases that combined AF, anticoagulation, and disparities involving sex, race, ethnicity, income, socioeconomic status (SES), and access to care and identified 13 relevant articles. The aggregate data demonstrated that Black patients were less likely to be prescribed anticoagulation than patients of other racial/ethnic groups. Additionally, Black patients were more likely to be prescribed warfarin instead of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) despite evidence that DOACs are safer and better tolerated. Lower-income patients and patients with less education were also less likely to receive DOACs. Some studies found that women were less likely to be anticoagulated than men even when their estimated stroke risk was higher, although other studies did not show sex-based differences. Building upon prior work, our study demonstrates that racial and ethnic disparities have persisted in the management of AF. Additionally, we our work highlights that there are significant disparities in anticoagulation management for AF associated with sex, income, and education. More work is needed to identify mechanisms for these disparities and identify potential solutions to achieve pharmacoequity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle J Daly
- Population Health Management, Performance Analysis and Improvement Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
| | - Utibe R Essien
- Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA; Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Marcela G Del Carmen
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA;; Center for Surgery and Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA;; Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA;; Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, Boston, MA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Benjamin Scirica
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Adam N Berman
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Jennifer Searl Como
- Population Health Management, Performance Analysis and Improvement Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Jason H Wasfy
- Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, Boston, MA; Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
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Rocheleau S, Gallagher C, Pitman BM, Tu SJ, Hanna-Rivero N, Clarke N, Linz D, Hendriks JM, Middeldorp ME, Mahajan R, Lau DH, Roberts-Thomson KC, Sanders P, Wong CX. Predictors of Anticoagulation Use in Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians With Atrial Fibrillation. Heart Lung Circ 2020; 30:707-713. [PMID: 33132053 DOI: 10.1016/j.hlc.2020.08.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Prior studies have demonstrated that anticoagulation underutilisation for atrial fibrillation (AF) and elevated stroke risk is common. However, there is little data on factors associated with appropriate anticoagulation, particularly in Indigenous Australians who face a disproportionate burden of AF and stroke. We thus sought to determine factors associated with anticoagulation use in Australians with AF. DESIGN Administrative, clinical, prescriptive and laboratory data were linked and aggregated over a 12-year period. SETTING Single tertiary teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS 19,305 (98%) and 308 (2%) consecutive non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians with AF identified from administrative databases. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Associations of anticoagulation use according to ethnicity. RESULTS Significant independent predictors of anticoagulation use included hypertension (odds ratio [OR] 1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17-1.34; p<0.001), diabetes (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.05-1.24; p=0.002), heart failure (OR 1.54 95% CI 1.43-1.66; p<0.001) and prior stroke or transient ischaemic attack (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.84-2.33; p<0.001). In contrast, increasing age (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.98-0.99; p<0.001), female gender (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.82-0.93; p<0.001), and vascular disease (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.64-0.80; p<0.001) were significant predictors of no anticoagulation. Hypertension was associated with less anticoagulation use in Indigenous compared to non-Indigenous Australians (p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS Anticoagulation for AF was suboptimal in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Older age, female gender, and comorbid vascular disease were found to be negatively associated with anticoagulation. Importantly, hypertension may also be under-recognised as a stroke risk factor in Indigenous Australians. Future efforts to encourage anticoagulation use in accordance with guideline recommendations is likely to reduce the burden of AF-related stroke in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Rocheleau
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Celine Gallagher
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Bradley M Pitman
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Samuel J Tu
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Nicole Hanna-Rivero
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Nicholas Clarke
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Dominik Linz
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Jeroen M Hendriks
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Melissa E Middeldorp
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Rajiv Mahajan
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Dennis H Lau
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Kurt C Roberts-Thomson
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Prashanthan Sanders
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia
| | - Christopher X Wong
- Centre for Heart Rhythm Disorders (CHRD), University of Adelaide and Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
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Ptaszek LM, Baugh CW, Lubitz SA, Ruskin JN, Ha G, Forsch M, DeOliveira SA, Baig S, Heist EK, Wasfy JH, Brown DF, Biddinger PD, Raja AS, Scirica B, White BA, Mansour M. Impact of a Multidisciplinary Treatment Pathway for Atrial Fibrillation in the Emergency Department on Hospital Admissions and Length of Stay: Results of a Multi-Center Study. J Am Heart Assoc 2019; 8:e012656. [PMID: 31510841 PMCID: PMC6818017 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.119.012656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Background Variability in the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) in the emergency department (ED) leads to avoidable hospital admissions and prolonged length of stay (LOS). In a retrospective single‐center study, a multidisciplinary AF treatment pathway was associated with a reduced hospital admission rate and reduced LOS. To assess the applicability of the AF pathway across institutions, we conducted a 2‐center study. Methods and Results We performed a prospective, 2‐stage study at 2 tertiary care hospitals. During the first stage, AF patients in the ED received routine care. During the second stage, AF patients received care according to the AF pathway. The primary study outcome was hospital admission rate. Secondary outcomes included ED LOS and inpatient LOS. We enrolled 104 consecutive patients in each stage. Patients treated using the AF pathway were admitted to the hospital less frequently than patients who received routine care (15% versus 55%; P<0.001). For admitted patients, average hospital LOS was shorter in the AF pathway cohort than in the routine care cohort (64 versus 105 hours, respectively; P=0.01). There was no significant difference in the average ED LOS between AF pathway and routine care cohorts (14 versus 12 hours, respectively; P=0.32). Conclusions In this prospective 2‐stage, 2‐center study, utilization of a multidisciplinary AF treatment pathway resulted in a 3.7‐fold reduction in admission rate and a 1.6‐fold reduction in average hospital LOS for admitted patients. Utilization of the AF pathway was not associated with a significant change in ED LOS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leon M Ptaszek
- Cardiac Arrhythmia Service Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | | | - Steven A Lubitz
- Cardiac Arrhythmia Service Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | - Jeremy N Ruskin
- Cardiac Arrhythmia Service Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | - Grace Ha
- Cardiac Arrhythmia Service Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | - Margaux Forsch
- Cardiac Arrhythmia Service Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | | | - Samia Baig
- Cardiac Arrhythmia Service Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | - E Kevin Heist
- Cardiac Arrhythmia Service Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | - Jason H Wasfy
- Cardiology Division Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | - David F Brown
- Department of Emergency Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | - Paul D Biddinger
- Department of Emergency Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | - Ali S Raja
- Department of Emergency Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | - Benjamin Scirica
- Heart and Vascular Center Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston MA
| | - Benjamin A White
- Department of Emergency Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
| | - Moussa Mansour
- Cardiac Arrhythmia Service Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
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