Background 

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a growing epidemic. Current models of care delivery are inadequate in meeting the needs of the population with AF. Furthermore, quality of life is known to be poor in patients with AF and is associated with adverse patient outcomes.

Objective 

The aim of this study was to determine if nurse-led education and cardiovascular risk factor modification, undertaken using the principles of motivational interviewing, facilitated by an electronic decision support tool to ensure the appropriate use of oral anticoagulation (OAC), could improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL), guideline adherence to OAC, and cardiovascular risk factor profiles in individuals with AF.

Methods 

This was a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled feasibility study of 72 individuals with AF. The intervention involved 1 face-to-face nurse-delivered education and risk factor management session with 4 follow-up telephone calls over a 3-month period to monitor progress. The primary outcome measure was HRQoL as assessed by the Short Form-12 survey.

Results 

A total of 72 participants were randomized, with 36 individuals in each arm completing follow-up. Mean age was 65 ± 11 years and 44% were women. At 3 months follow-up, no significant differences between groups were observed for the physical or mental component summary scores of the Short Form-12, nor any of the subscales. Appropriate use of OAC did not differ between groups at final follow-up.

Conclusions 

A brief nurse-delivered educational intervention did not significantly impact on HRQoL or risk factor status in individuals with AF. Further research should focus on interventions of greater intensity to improve outcomes in this population.

Trial Registration: ACTRN12615000928516

中文翻译：

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NursE 领导心房颤动管理：NEAT 研究：随机对照试验。

背景 

心房颤动(AF) 是一种日益流行的流行病。当前的护理提供模式不足以满足 AF 人群的需求。此外，已知 AF 患者的生活质量较差，并且与不良的患者结局相关。

客观的 

本研究的目的是确定护士主导的教育和心血管危险因素修改，使用动机访谈的原则进行，通过电子决策支持工具的促进，以确保适当使用口服抗凝剂(OAC)，是否可以改善健康—— AF 患者的相关生活质量(HRQoL)、OAC 指南依从性和心血管危险因素概况。

方法 

这是一项针对 72 名 AF 患者的多中心、前瞻性、随机对照可行性研究。干预包括 1 次面对面的护士提供的教育和风险因素管理会议，并在 3 个月内进行 4 次后续电话通话以监测进展。根据 Short Form-12 调查评估的主要结果指标是 HRQoL。

结果 

共有 72 名参与者被随机分组​​，每组 36 人完成随访。平均年龄为 65 ± 11 岁，44% 为女性。在 3 个月的随访中，在 Short Form-12 或任何分量表的身体或精神成分总结得分方面均未观察到组间的显着差异。在最终随访时，两组间 OAC 的适当使用没有差异。

结论 

简短的护士提供的教育干预对 AF 患者的 HRQoL 或危险因素状态没有显着影响。进一步的研究应侧重于更大强度的干预措施，以改善该人群的结果。

试用注册：ACTRN12615000928516