A two-round Delphi study among 23 experts established a multidisciplinary follow-up indicator system for post-ablation atrial fibrillation patients comprising 38 third-level indicators.
A Delphi study successfully developed a consensus-based multidisciplinary follow-up indicator system based on the ABC pathway for patients with atrial fibrillation after ablation.
p-value: p=<0.001
Background: Long-term follow-up is essential for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) after ablation. Although the “Atrial Fibrillation Better Care” (ABC) pathway is widely recommended, a structured and operational follow-up indicator system tailored to post-ablation AF patients remains lacking. This study aimed to develop a multidisciplinary follow-up indicator system for post-ablation AF patients based on the ABC pathway. Methods: A preliminary indicator pool was developed through a literature review guided by the ABC pathway and relevant guidelines, and further refined through semi-structured interviews with post-ablation AF patients. A two-round Delphi survey was then conducted among 23 multidisciplinary experts in cardiovascular care and nursing management. Indicators were screened, revised, and finalized according to prespecified consensus criteria and statistical analysis. Results: A total of 23 experts completed two rounds of the Delphi survey. The response rates were 92.0% in round 1 and 100% in round 2. The authority coefficients were 0.892 and 0.914, respectively.Kendall’s W values ranged from 0.229 to 0.370 across indicator levels and rounds, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusion: This study developed a preliminary multidisciplinary follow-up indicator system for post-ablation AF patients based on the ABC pathway. The findings provide a consensus-based framework for structuring follow-up content and may inform future clinical application and empirical validation. Keywords: atrial fibrillation, radiofrequency ablation, follow-up indicators, ABC pathway, multidisciplinary care, Delphi technique
Shi et al. (Fri,) conducted a other in Atrial Fibrillation (post-ablation) (n=23). Multidisciplinary follow-up indicator system based on the ABC pathway was evaluated on Consensus on follow-up indicators (Kendall's W) (p=<0.001). A two-round Delphi study among 23 experts established a multidisciplinary follow-up indicator system for post-ablation atrial fibrillation patients comprising 38 third-level indicators.