The American Heart Association (AHA) has made improvements to guideline adherence in the treatment of atrial fibrillation a priority, according to a paper published Sept. 2 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

William R. Lewis, MD, of MetroHealth Campus at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and colleagues developed Get with the Guidelines – AFIB  to parlay successes from other AHA Get With The Guidelines programs. With a reminder that atrial fibrillation was involved in more than 100,000 deaths each year in the U.S., the statement of intent from Lewis et al sought to underscore the importance of improving adherence to guidelines.

They hope to enroll an unspecified number regional hospitals through AHA representatives and provide those participants with resources, tools and partners to improve healthcare for atrial fibrillation patients. Data collected will help with continuous improvement efforts and with determining future steps.

Assessment of adherence to AHA and American College of Cardiology guideline recommendations and performance measures will be key to determining the success of the project, particularly in the realm of rate control, stroke prevention and maintenance of sinus rhythm.

Lewis et al wrote that this program will provide evidence-based metrics to allow Get With The Guidelines-AFIB to quickly realize quality improvements. “A combination of education and outreach, integrated clinical decision support, ongoing audit feedback and organizational change geared toward improving specific processes or outcomes are all frequently required for sustained change and allow for rapid-cycle assessment and intervention.”

The program also will recognize hospitals for achieving performance goals, also much like other Get With The Guidelines programs. Recognition will be based on the length of time a participating hospital succeeds at reaching and maintaining goals.

“Although various treatment regimens are available for patients with AF [atrial fibrillation] that are effective in reducing morbidity and likely mortality, adherence to guidelines is low,” Lewis et al wrote, “Quality improvement programs such as GWTG-AFIB may increase adherence to guideline-based therapies and potentially improve outcomes.”