Stroke Prevention and Rhythm Control Therapy: Evaluation of an Educational Programme of the European Society of Cardiology in a Cluster-Randomised Trial in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
Stroke Prevention and Rhythm Control Therapy: Evaluation of an Educational Programme of the European Society of Cardiology in a Cluster-Randomised Trial in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation
A prospective trial with hospitals/health centres across 6 different European countries, being randomised to either a structured education programme as the intervention or no additional education as the control. To determine whether a comprehensive educational programme for healthcare professionals will increase the rate of appropriate stroke prevention and rhythm control therapy in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and adherence to Guidelines.
Prospective, parallel group, two-arm, unblinded, international, cluster-randomized controlled trial.
Intervention arm: A 16-week blended learning programme targeting stroke prevention and rhythm control therapy at the healthcare professional level, with controlled assessments, a commitment to change plan, and reinforcement actions Control arm: No added education of healthcare professionals 70 centres with a cluster size of 25 patients; total estimated number of patients 1750.
8-12 weeks patient recruitment period at each centre; 16 weeks educational intervention period; primary & secondary outcomes at 6-9 months post-randomisation; remote follow-up for clinical events (no new patient contact) at 18 months from randomisation.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria (patients only):
Patient assessment: Baseline (time of recruitment) and at follow-up routine appointment (6-9 months), plus remote follow-up at 18 months.
Buckingham, Buckinghamshire HP11 2TT, United Kingdom
London, England SW10 9NH, United Kingdom