Screening of atrial fibrillation in dental practices: a qualitative feasibility study.

Obaid Hassan, Amaar, Moreno Lopez, Rosa, Lane, Deirdre A ORCID: 0000-0002-5604-9378, Lip, Gregory YH ORCID: 0000-0002-7566-1626, Harris, Rebecca V, Mughal, Asfa and Weir, Corina (2023) Screening of atrial fibrillation in dental practices: a qualitative feasibility study. Expert review of cardiovascular therapy, 21 (9). pp. 643-649.

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Abstract

<h4>Objectives</h4>To increase the detection of unknown atrial fibrillation (AF), general practitioners have started screening their patients using small hand-held devices. It is thought that dental settings could be utilized for screening as they have regular access to patients. The aim of this study was were to explore the perceptions of dental staff of screening for AF using a hand-held electronic device in primary dental care.<h4>Methods</h4>The research took placed in one large mixed NHS and private general dental practice. Views from staff including dentists, dental therapists, dental nurses, and managers were elicited via semi-structured interviews conducted face-to-face, audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interviews continued until there were no new themes or patterns emerging from the data and thematic saturation had been achieved.<h4>Results</h4>Eleven participants were interviewed. The main themes generated were methodology for screening, acceptability for screening within the practice, attitudes to screening, and implementation of screening. Overall, participants were positive about implementing AF screening in a dental practice but expressed concerns about time and remuneration. Staff also gave encouraging feedback regarding the simplicity of the portable screening device.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Participants felt that AF screening in primary care dental practices was a good concept but may be challenging to implement in NHS Dentistry, especially due to the pandemic.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Atrial fibrillation, screening, general dental practice, dentistry, qualitative, primary dental care, cardiovascular disease
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	11 Sep 2023 07:50
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2023 12:14
DOI:	10.1080/14779072.2023.2254679
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3172661