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Douglas C. McCrory, MD; David B. Matchar, MD; Greg Samsa, PhD; Linda L. Sanders, MPH; Edward L. C. Pritchett, MD

Arch Intern Med. 1995;155(3):277-281.

Abstract
Background
Our goal was to determine whether patient age affects a physician's reported likelihood of using anticoagulant therapy or the intensity of anticoagulant therapy for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

Methods
We surveyed a nationwide sample of 1189 randomly selected office-based practitioners in three strata: primary care (geriatrics, internal medicine, family practice, and general practice), cardiology, and neurology. A vignette-based questionnaire was used to measure attitudes and beliefs regarding anticoagulation risks and effectiveness, barriers to anticoagulation in clinical practice, and likelihood of using anticoagulation and target intensity of anticoagulation at three patient ages (55,65, and 75 years) for four clinical scenarios (chronic nonvalvular atrial fibrillation with mild left atrial enlargement, intermittent or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, recentonset atrial fibrillation, and atrial fibrillation with recent [3 months] embolic stroke).

Results
The overall response rate was 38%. The mean likelihoods of using anticoagulation for the three ages were unequal (P<.0001) for each scenario. Most physicians were "very" or "somewhat" likely to use anticoagulant therapy for a 65-year-old with left atrial enlargement (71%), intermittent or paryoxysmal atrial fibrillation (68%), recent-onset atrial fibrillation (86%), or embolic stroke (96%). Fewer physicians were likely to use anticoagulant therapy for a 75-year-old with left atrial enlargement (63%), intermittent or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (56%), recent-onset atrial fibrillation (80%), or embolic stroke (93%). Among physicians equally likely to use anticoagulation for 65- and 75-year-old patients, intensity of anticoagulant therapy (target international normalized ratio or prothrombin time ratio) was lower (P<.04) for the 75-year-old.

Conclusion
Anticoagulant therapy may be less often and less intensively used for elderly patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation.

(Arch Intern Med. 1995;155:277-281)

Author Affiliations
From the Center for Health Policy Research and Education (Drs McCrory and Matchar), Duke University, Durham, NC; the Divisions of General Internal Medicine (Drs McCrory, Matchar, and Samsa, and Ms Sanders), Cardiology (Dr Pritchett), and Clinical Pharmacology (Dr Pritchett), Department of Medicine and Division of Biometry (Dr Samsa), Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC; and the Center for Health Services Research in Primary Care (Drs McCrory, Matchar, and Samsa), Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC.

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