{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,9]],"date-time":"2026-06-09T14:07:00Z","timestamp":1781014020211,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,12]],"date-time":"2023-10-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1697068800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000272","name":"National Institute for Health and Care Research","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["17\/63\/121"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["17\/63\/121"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000272","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major risk factor for stroke. To enable improvements to AF diagnosis and follow-up care, understanding current patient pathways and barriers to optimal care are essential. We investigated the patient care pathways and their drivers, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patient pathways in a middle-income country setting, Brazil.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This mixed-methods study in S\u00e3o Paulo, included adults (\u226518y) with AF from 13 primary\/secondary healthcare facilities. Surveys using baseline, follow-up (administered \u2265two months after baseline) and COVID-19 questionnaires (quantitative), and three focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted. Minimum sample size for the quantitative component was 236 and we aimed to reach saturation with at least three FGDs for the qualitative component. Descriptive statistics were used for quantitative data and a content analysis was used for qualitative data to identify themes related to AF diagnosis and follow-up care.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>267 participants completed the baseline questionnaire: 25% were diagnosed in primary care, 65% in an emergency or inpatient department. At follow-up (n = 259), 31% visited more than one facility for AF care, and 7% had no follow-up. Intervals between international normalised ratio (INR) tests were increased during the pandemic, and the number of healthcare visits and availability of medication were reduced. Seventeen patients participated in three FGDs and revealed that AF diagnosis often occurred following a medical emergency and patients often delay care-seeking due to misconceptions about AF symptoms. Long waiting times, doctor\/patient interactions and health system factors, such as doctor availability and the referral system, influence where participants visited for follow-up care.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Lack of public awareness and underdeveloped primary healthcare lead to delayed diagnosis, which impacts clinical outcomes and excess patient and healthcare system costs. Health system, care-provider, and pandemic factors disrupt timely and effective continuity of care.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0292463","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,12]],"date-time":"2023-10-12T17:37:31Z","timestamp":1697132251000},"page":"e0292463","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Identifying and understanding the care pathway of patients with atrial fibrillation in Brazil and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-methods study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1076-5210","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alessandra C.","family":"Goulart","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ana C.","family":"Varella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3905-5477","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Tiffany E.","family":"Gooden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7566-1626","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Gregory Y. H.","family":"Lip","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kate","family":"Jolly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"G. Neil","family":"Thomas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Paulo A.","family":"Lotufo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sheila","family":"Greenfield","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rodrigo D.","family":"Olmos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Isabela M.","family":"Bensenor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5827-8855","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Semira","family":"Manaseki-Holland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"name":"on behalf of the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Atrial Fibrillation Management","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,12]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0292463.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"217","DOI":"10.1177\/1747493019897870","article-title":"Global epidemiology of atrial fibrillation: an increasing epidemic and public health challenge","volume":"16","author":"G Lippi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int J Stroke"},{"issue":"Supplement_O","key":"pone.0292463.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"O61","DOI":"10.1093\/eurheartj\/suaa181","article-title":"Atrial fibrillation in low-and middle-income countries: a narrative review","volume":"22","author":"IS Santos","year":"2020","journal-title":"Eur Heart J Suppl"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0292463.ref003","first-page":"e29","article-title":"Heart disease and stroke statistics\u20142015 update: a report from the American Heart Association","volume":"131","author":"D Mozaffarian","year":"2015","journal-title":"Circulation"},{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0292463.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"857","DOI":"10.7326\/0003-4819-146-12-200706190-00007","article-title":"Meta-analysis: antithrombotic therapy to prevent stroke in patients who have nonvalvular atrial fibrillation","volume":"146","author":"RG Hart","year":"2007","journal-title":"Annals of internal medicine"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0292463.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8S","DOI":"10.1378\/chest.119.1_suppl.8S","article-title":"Oral anticoagulants: mechanism of action, clinical effectiveness, and optimal therapeutic range","volume":"119","author":"J Hirsh","year":"2001","journal-title":"Chest"},{"issue":"11","key":"pone.0292463.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"627","DOI":"10.1038\/nrcardio.2017.153","article-title":"The ABC pathway: an integrated approach to improve AF management","volume":"14","author":"GY Lip","year":"2017","journal-title":"Nat Rev Cardiol"},{"issue":"6","key":"pone.0292463.ref007","first-page":"602","article-title":"Prevalence of electrocardiographic findings in elderly individuals: the Sao Paulo aging & health study","volume":"93","author":"LA Kawabata-Yoshihara","year":"2009","journal-title":"Arq Bras Cardiol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0292463.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"48","DOI":"10.1177\/1747493021995592","article-title":"The impact of atrial fibrillation and long-term oral anticoagulant use on all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: A 12-year evaluation of the prospective Brazilian Study of Stroke Mortality and Morbidity","volume":"17","author":"AC Goulart","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Stroke"},{"key":"pone.0292463.ref009","unstructured":"United Nations. 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