Table 1. Characteristics of Patients With Atrial Fibrillation in Intervention and Control Arms of a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial of a Computerized Antithrombotic Risk Assessment Tool for General Practitioners in New South Wales, Australiaa , b .
| Characteristic | All Patients | Intervention Arm | Control Arm | P Valuec |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of patients (% of total sample) | 393 (100.0) | 206 (52.4) | 187 (47.6) | — |
| Age, mean (SD), y | 78.0 (7.0) | 78.2 (7.1) | 77.7 (7.0) | .52 |
| Age group | ||||
| ≥80 y | 180 (45.8) | 96 (46.6) | 84 (44.9) | .74 |
| <80 y | 213 (54.2) | 110 (53.4) | 103 (55.1) | |
| Sex | ||||
| Male | 214 (54.5) | 113 (54.9) | 101 (54.0) | .87 |
| Female | 179 (45.5) | 93 (45.1) | 86 (46.0) | |
| No. of chronic conditions, mean (SD) | 5.8 (2.5) | 6.1 (2.7) | 5.4 (2.3) | .01 |
| No. of prescription medications, mean (SD) | 9.2 (4.0) | 9.0 (3.7) | 9.4 (4.3) | .42 |
| No. of nonprescription medications, mean (SD) | 1.5 (1.3) | 1.5 (1.3) | 1.5 (1.3) | .94 |
| History of atrial fibrillation | ||||
| <3 mo | 10 (2.5) | 7 (3.4) | 3 (1.6) | .24 |
| <12 mo | 39 (9.9) | 20 (9.7) | 19 (10.2) | |
| <2 y | 59 (15.0) | 25 (12.1) | 34 (18.2) | |
| <5 y | 82 (20.9) | 49 (23.8) | 33 (17.6) | |
| ≥5 y | 203(51.7) | 105 (51.0) | 98 (52.4) | |
| Type of atrial fibrillation | ||||
| Paroxysmal | 139 (35.4) | 76 (36.9) | 63 (33.7) | .86 |
| Persistent | 224 (57.0) | 116 (56.3) | 108 (57.8) | |
| New onset | 22 (5.6) | 10 (4.9) | 12 (6.4) | |
| Unknown | 8 (2.0) | 4 (1.9) | 4 (2.1) | |
| Duration of persistent atrial fibrillation, mean (SD), y | 6.8 (6.8) | 6.0 (3.7) | 7.7 (8.9) | .01 |
| Previous hospitalization for atrial fibrillation | ||||
| No | 259 (65.9) | 134 (65.0) | 125 (66.8) | .71 |
| Yes | 134 (34.1) | 72 (35.0) | 62 (33.2) | |
| Reason for previous hospitalization | ||||
| Management of atrial fibrillation | 87 (64.9) | 48 (66.7) | 39 (62.9) | .85 |
| Stroke or cerebrovascular accident from atrial fibrillation | 24 (17.9) | 13 (18.1) | 11 (17.7) | |
| Transient ischemic attack | 12 (9.0) | 5 (6.9) | 7 (11.3) | |
| Otherd | 11 (8.2) | 6 (8.3) | 5 (8.1) | |
| Current cardiac rhythm | ||||
| Normal sinus rhythm | 45 (11.5) | 25 (12.1) | 20 (10.7) | .57 |
| Controlled atrial fibrillation | 347 (88.3) | 180 (87.4) | 167 (89.3) | |
| Uncontrolled atrial fibrillation | 1 (0.3) | 1 (0.5) | 0 (0.0) | |
a
All values are number (percentage in subgroup) unless otherwise indicated.
b
General practitioners were recruited from 4 regions of general practice in New South Wales, Australia: the northern suburbs of Sydney, the Central Coast, the Newcastle metropolitan area (in the Hunter Region), and the rural areas of the Hunter Region. Each general practitioner (25 in control arm and 25 in intervention arm) recruited 5 to 10 patients.
c
P value for difference between intervention arm and control arm determined by Pearson χ2 test.
d
Includes acute myocardial infarction, amiodarone-induced hyperthyroidism, anterior resection, aortic valve replacement, carcinoma, cardiac ablation, pacemaker reinsertion, pulmonary embolism.