Abstract
Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) represents a significant burden on healthcare resources. This study aimed to (i) identify key determinants for treatment choices in AF; (ii) analyze impacts of AF treatment on patient satisfaction and compliance; and (iii) analyze impacts of AF treatment on physician satisfaction and willingness to prescribe.
Methods: Physicians and their patients with paroxysmal, persistent, and permanent AF were recruited and asked to respond to questionnaires. Patient and physician satisfaction was analyzed by specifying structural models with latent variables, using partial least squares (PLS) to estimate the models.
Results: Physician satisfaction with available AF treatment was low (55±1.3; p = 0.1, on a scale of 0–100), but physician willingness to prescribe in AF was high. AF patient satisfaction with current treatment was low (71 ± 1.2; p = 0.1), but despite this, their treatment compliance was rated as high (90 +- 0.9; p = 0.1).
Conclusion: The satisfaction with current AF treatment was low in patients with AF. Physician satisfaction with available AF drugs was driven by efficacy. The same appeared to be true for the patients — satisfaction, compliance, and functional ability would most likely increase with a perceived better drug efficacy.
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Notes
Most questions included in the questionnaire were general and were validated as part of the International Patient Satisfaction Index (IPSI) and European Performance Satisfaction Index (EPSI), and some were non-validated AF-specific questions.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are indebted to Fast Forward Research Ltd, Wilmslow, UK, for managing the data collection in the study, and to European Health Economics, Stockholm, Sweden, for cooperation in the design of the study and in the interpretation of the results. The study was funded by AstraZeneca. AstraZeneca did not take part in the design and conduct of the study, data collection, management, analysis, and interpretation. AstraZeneca has not taken part in the preparation of the manuscript but has had an opportunity to review it.
Nils Edvardsson is a Medical Advisor to AstraZeneca. Margareta Thimell and John Kindblom are employees of AstraZeneca. At the time of the study Olle Almgren was employed as a research physician at AstraZeneca.
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Edvardsson, N., Westlund, A., Thimell, M. et al. Pharmacological Rhythm and Rate Control Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation. Patient-Patient-Centered-Outcome-Res 3, 33–43 (2010). https://doi.org/10.2165/11319500-000000000-00000
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/11319500-000000000-00000