IMR Press / RCM / Volume 23 / Issue 10 / DOI: 10.31083/j.rcm2310353
Open Access Systematic Review
Systematic Review of Patient Decision Aids for Stroke Prevention Therapy in Atrial Fibrillation Management
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1 Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada
2 Department of Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 2TP, Canada
3 Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 2T9, Canada
4 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
5 Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 4N1, Canada
*Correspondence: sbwilton@ucalgary.ca (Stephen B. Wilton)
Academic Editor: Roberto Manfredini
Rev. Cardiovasc. Med. 2022, 23(10), 353; https://doi.org/10.31083/j.rcm2310353
Submitted: 3 May 2022 | Revised: 22 September 2022 | Accepted: 28 September 2022 | Published: 18 October 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cardiogenic Stroke: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment)
Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by IMR Press.
This is an open access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Abstract

Background: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is a major cause of stroke. Oral anticoagulation can reduce the risk of AF-associated stroke by 65% but it remains underused. Stroke prevention therapy in patients with AF has been considered a good target for shared decision making with patient decision aids as it is a long-term, preference-sensitive decision with known risk-benefit trade-offs. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize published literature on the effectiveness of patient decision aids on the choice of and adherence to stroke prevention therapy in individuals with AF. Methods: We conducted a structured literature search for prospective studies evaluating decision aids for AF stroke prevention therapy in adult patients with nonvalvular AF. We included studies that compared those exposed to a decision aid with a control condition for outcomes including choice of therapy, adherence, decisional conflict and patient knowledge. Quantitative meta-analysis was not feasible due to excessive between-study heterogeneity. Results: Eight studies met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Six studies were randomized clinical trials and two were pre-post comparisons. Of the 8 studies, each evaluated a different decision aid, with only three including all contemporary oral anticoagulant drugs. All decision aids improved AF knowledge compared to baseline or control and decision aids reduced decisional conflict in four of six studies. However, there were inconsistent effects of the studied decision aids on initiation of oral anticoagulation. Adherence to initial stroke prevention therapy choice appeared to benefit from decision aid use in 2 studies that addressed this issue. Conclusions: Decision aids for stroke prevention increased AF patients’ knowledge and decisional confidence but had variable impacts on choice of and adherence to stroke prevention therapy. The results highlight the need for well-designed decision aids that present patients with all contemporary therapeutic options.

Keywords
atrial fibrillation
patient decision aids
systematic review
stroke prevention
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