B-AB05-02 FEASIBILITY OF A GROUP-BASED VIRTUAL ATRIAL FIBRILLATION MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM FOR PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS

Abstract

Disparities in atrial fibrillation (AF) care may be partially due to limited access to AF specialists. Since many AF patients are cared for solely by primary care providers (PCPs), a virtual education program teaching AF best practices to PCPs may improve access to high quality AF care in the community. This study evaluated whether a group-based virtual educational program for PCPs improved knowledge and confidence to deliver guideline-directed AF care. A multidisciplinary team delivered evidence-based AF management strategies in 24 weekly 1-hour sessions over 6 months using a case-based format. Two internally developed surveys of knowledge and confidence in AF care were administered before and after the program. Linear regression and paired t-tests were used to assess change in knowledge and confidence. Twenty-eight providers (11% cardiology, 46% family medicine (FM), 43% internal medicine (IM)) participated in an average of 16 (range: 5-22) sessions. Knowledge in AF care improved from 81 to 101 (p<.001) of 125 points and confidence in delivering AF care improved from 29 to 41 (p<.001) of 55 points (Figure). Improvement was similar stratified by academic degree (MD, NP, PA); however, greater improvement was seen among FM and IM specialties (p<.05), as cardiology providers had higher baseline knowledge. Improvement in knowledge (p=.003) and confidence (p=.001) was associated with total number of sessions attended. A group-based virtual education program improved knowledge and confidence in AF management among PCPs. Future randomized studies in larger samples are needed to determine the clinical benefits of the intervention.