Sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical factors associated with low atrial fibrillation knowledge among older adults with atrial fibrillation: The SAGE-AF study.
Colleen Sedney, Hawa O Abu, Katherine Trymbulak and 5 others
PMID 32690396WHAT IT FOUND
Most older adults with atrial fibrillation have low disease knowledge.
Those over 85, without a college degree, or with anxiety, heart failure, or prior heart attack were significantly more likely to score low. Check these records to target education.
Key findings
0178% of participants had low AF knowledge, defined as scoring under 75% on the questionnaire.
02Participants over 85 had three times the odds of low AF knowledge compared to those under 75.
03Having a college degree was associated with roughly half the odds of low AF knowledge compared to having less education.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study cohort was 87% non-Hispanic white, limiting the generalizability of findings to other racial and ethnic groups. 147 participants were excluded from the primary analysis due to incomplete questionnaire responses; these excluded individuals were older, more frail, and more cognitively impaired, potentially biasing the sample toward healthier patients. The study is cross-sectional in nature regarding the association between characteristics and knowledge; it does not prove that these factors cause low knowledge, only that they are associated with it.
Declared interests
Funding was provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (N.I.H.). No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that patients who score well on basic stroke risk questions have adequate self-management knowledge. Many participants did not understand that AF can be asymptomatic or that medications do not prevent the arrhythmia itself, even if they knew about blood thinners.