Screening for atrial fibrillation in older adults in primary care
A cross-sectional pilot study in Qatar
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22433501 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ahmed Sameer Alnuaimi (0000-0001-6885-2515, Primary Health Care), Shahid Ahmad (0000-0003-4572-3846, Primary Health Care), Abdullah Syed (Primary Health Care), Babur Khan (Primary Health Care Corporation), B R Khan (Primary Health Care), Zaheer Ahmed (0000-0001-9622-7418, Primary Health Care), Tahir Hameed (0000-0002-6824-6803, University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street), Mohamed Ahmed Syed (0000-0002-2396-3534, Primary Health Care), Muslim Abbas Syed (Primary Health Care Corporation) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-17 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1788553 |
| OpenAlex | W4406774770 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in clinical practice, and its prevalence is increasing in aging populations. It is a leading cause of acute stroke, heart failure, sudden death, and other cardiovascular morbidities. AF is often asymptomatic and is frequently diagnosed late, typically after a patient presents with acute stroke. Early detection and treatment can prevent such life-threatening events, making AF screening a public health priority. However, diagnosing asymptomatic AF remains challenging. While international guidelines recommend AF screening, Qatar lacks documented prevalence data and formal screening programs. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of an AF screening program for older adults in Qatar. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among individuals aged ≥65 years registered with the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC)-Qatar, which serves approximately 70% of Qatar’s population. A simple random sample of 139 to 385 individuals was determined to ensure a sampling error of 5% to 3%, assuming a 10% AF prevalence. The participants underwent screening via standard ECG tracing that were reviewed independently by both the family physicians and a cardiologist. Results The prevalence of AF among the study population was 5.4%. Newly diagnosed cases accounted for 2% of the 249 participants screened. All newly detected patients had a CHA2DS2VASc scores indicating the need for anticoagulant therapy to reduce stroke risk. Furthermore, compared with cardiologists, the family physicians in primary care successfully identified 75% of AF cases through ECG. Conclusions If implemented nationally among individuals aged ≥65 years, the screening program could identify 747 undiagnosed AF cases among the 37,371. AF screening for individuals aged ≥75 years appears to offer a favorable cost‒benefit ratio, supporting the implementation of a targeted screening strategy in Qatar.
Atrial fibrillation · Cardiology · Cross-sectional study · Family medicine · Pathology · Primary care · Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life · Medicine · Internal Medicine
| Highly cited | No |
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