TY - JOUR T1 - Starting anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation in the emergency department safely JF - Emergency Medicine Journal JO - Emerg Med J SP - 859 LP - 860 DO - 10.1136/emermed-2022-212487 VL - 39 IS - 11 AU - Christopher Kirwan AU - Sophie Ramsden AU - Jaimee Carter AU - X Catherine Tong AU - Johnny Huang AU - Natasha Clayton AU - Robyn McArthur AU - Aqsa Kibria AU - Kerstin de Wit Y1 - 2022/11/01 UR - http://emj.bmj.com/content/39/11/859.abstract N2 - Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common morbidity, which is increasing in prevalence.1 AF predisposes patients to stroke while anticoagulation therapy reduces the stroke risk in this population. The proportion of patients with AF receiving oral anticoagulation is one of the pan-Canadian quality indicators set by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.2 Our review of local ED practice identified that only 17% of patients with AF eligible for anticoagulation were being prescribed an anticoagulant.3 We implemented a simple ED pathway for initiating anticoagulation in patients with AF in four EDs. The pathway was available for emergency patients who had a diagnosis of AF or atrial flutter (new-onset or previously known) being discharged home. We determined the proportion of patients who were appropriately anticoagulated and 90-day clinical outcomes.Rapid specialist follow-up, reliable communication with the family doctor and ease of patient education increase ED doctor comfort in prescribing anticoagulation for AF.4 Using these principles, a multidisciplinary, multisite working group developed a one-page pathway to guide assessment … ER -