General practitioner confidence and practices in oral anticoagulant use for atrial fibrillation in Australia: findings from a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: To examine Australian General Practitioners' (GPs) confidence in initiating oral anticoagulants (OACs) for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), and their practices for monitoring treatment adherence. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey. SETTING: GPs practising in metropolitan, regional and rural/remote locations in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: 1765 Australian GPs recruited through professional GP networks. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: analyses were used to examine associations between the key outcome variables and GP location and clinical experience. RESULTS: -VA score ≥2 (a cumulative stroke risk score with a score of 1 for: congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, vascular disease and age 65-74 years and 2 for: stroke/transient ischaemic attack, age ≥ 75 years). Unsurprisingly, confidence was higher among GPs with >10 years experience (51.5%) compared with 5-10 years (44.9%) and