Patients and physicians awareness in atrial fibrillation health issues

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common arrhythmias, significantly increasing the risk of stroke, heart failure, and other serious complications. Despite the availability of modern therapies, low awareness of patients and physicians about key aspects of AF, especially in the anticoagulant therapy, remains an urgent problem. This study aims to assess knowledge on AF among patients and physicians. Objective. To assess the level of awareness of patients and therapists about atrial fibrillation using the Atrial Fibrillation Health Literacy Questionnaire (AFHLQ) and to identify key misconceptions in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of this disorder. Materials and methods. Forty-one AF patients (mean age 71.5±10.5 years) and 131 physicians (56 cardiologists, 75 internal medicine specialists) were surveyed using the validated AFHLQ questionnaire, which included 47 questions in 5 topics. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistica 10 software. Results. Patients showed significant gaps in knowledge: 73.2% mistakenly considered aspirin effective for stroke prevention in AF; 68.3% believed that skipping anticoagulants is acceptable without the risk of thrombosis; 48.8% supported discontinuation of therapy in the absence of symptoms. 33.6% of physicians underestimated the importance of regular anticoagulant use, and 29.8% believed their cancellation was acceptable. Cardiologists showed a statistically significantly higher score (43.08±2.61) than internal medicine specialists (39.47±3.22; p=0.003). Conclusion. The study demonstrated the low awareness of patients about atrial fibrillation and the presence of some misconceptions among doctors, especially on anticoagulant therapy. To improve clinical outcomes, it is necessary to develop educational programs for patients and physicians that align with evidence-based clinical guidelines.