TY - JOUR T1 - Pharmacists detecting atrial fibrillation in general practice: a qualitative focus group study JF - BJGP Open JO - BJGP Open DO - 10.3399/bjgpopen20X101042 VL - 4 IS - 3 SP - bjgpopen20X101042 AU - Vilius Savickas AU - Emma L Veale AU - Sukvinder K Bhamra AU - Adrian J Stewart AU - Alistair Mathie AU - Sarah Corlett Y1 - 2020/08/01 UR - http://bjgpopen.org/content/4/3/bjgpopen20X101042.abstract N2 - Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) affects up to 10% of people aged ≥65 years, yet a third of all cases remain undetected. Practice-based pharmacists are in an ideal position to facilitate opportunistic AF screening, while increasing general practice capacity at a time of workforce crisis.Aim To explore the perspectives of three stakeholder groups involved in the ‘Pharmacists Detecting Atrial Fibrillation’ (PDAF) study to elucidate the facilitators and barriers to pharmacist-led AF screening in general practice.Design & setting A qualitative study took place, comprising homogeneous focus groups with stakeholders in Kent, UK.Method The stakeholder groups — patients, general practice staff (GPS), and clinical pharmacists (CPs) — were recruited using convenience sampling. Audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a deductive Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) approach.Results Twenty-five patients, four pharmacists, and nine practice staff participated in six focus groups. Three main themes were identified: knowledge and awareness; prioritisation of resources; and environmental considerations. The public’s lack of awareness of AF-related risks and pharmacist-led screening services was highlighted. Practice-based pharmacists were perceived as an underutilised educational resource which, together with novel electrocardiogram devices, enabled convenient access to screening while reducing GPs’ workload. Participants agreed that AF screening should be incorporated into personalised health checks and at-risk groups should be prioritised, such as care home residents. Patients favoured the general practice environment over the community pharmacy where concerns of privacy, staffing, and commercialisation were raised.Conclusion The findings of this study support the introduction of pharmacist-led AF screening programmes in general practice surgeries. Commissioners should consider the added value of utilising CPs and focus on the delivery of AF screening within an integrated service. ER -