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Negative experiences of health care for atrial fibrillation
People with atrial fibrillation (AF) meet a range of health care professionals. While there is a great deal of satisfaction with the service and treatment...
With more and more people using the internet, getting information about atrial fibrillation (AF) has never been easier. But the internet is not the only way to find out about AF. Here we look at some of the sources of information and support which people with AF use to help them better understand their condition.
For those people diagnosed with AF before the internet age, finding out about AF was difficult.
For most people, however, the internet has now become a key resource for finding out about AF. As Chris Y said, the internet has taken over and “encyclopedias and things tend to be a bit old-fashioned now”. People we spoke to praised websites run by NHS Choices, the Atrial Fibrillation Association (AFA) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF). However, they stressed the importance of being selective when searching on the internet, noting that websites could have conflicting information. While Carin trusted American websites to have “all the latest” information, Eileen avoided these sites if possible, describing them as “very drastic and scary”.
People varied in the types and quantity of information they wanted. Some talked about how they focused on the specifics of their condition rather than going into detail. As Jeni said, “you can panic yourself and start thinking it’s worse than it is. I don’t want to overload my brain and wake up worrying at 3am.” Ginny admitted that she was not interested in hospital performance figures, which could be “skewed by various things”, but wanted to know “about the guy who was going to do the catheter ablation.”
Mary spoke of browsing the internet, but declared that she didn’t have time to dwell on her health. Others, like Nuala, however, used the internet more extensively, contacting health professionals throughout the UK for more information “if I had good names from the internet.”
Some participants felt it was important to look up information and become a knowledgeable and informed patient, and to be able to hold a “meaningful conversation” with a consultant. Jenny admitted she had spent “all day, every day” researching on the internet after her husband had an AF-related stroke. She said that she found the Atrial Fibrillation Association website helpful, providing information on treatments, specialists and “the questions I should be asking.”
Not everyone we spoke to used the internet. As Elisabeth X said, “I’ve never knowingly seen a website.” Geoff felt he may have benefitted from looking up information online sooner, but was somewhat dubious of its reliability. Raymond, in his seventies and just starting to learn how to use the internet, wondered what use more information about his condition would be at his age.
Dot was happy to leave her treatment up to her doctors, describing herself as “not one of these people that goes on the internet and checks everything.”
Talking to health professionals, either in person or by phone, helped people get answers to questions about their AF and treatment options. Ginny “drove her cardiologist quite mad with questions.” Jeni praised her arrhythmia nurse who she could “just ring up anytime”.
Textbooks, medical journals, and factsheets provided by health professionals and support groups also helped people understand AF. Some people borrowed textbooks from the library or read articles in recognised journals such as The Lancet to research their condition. When she was put on the list for an ablation, Jeni was sent “a really informative pack” in which the nurse had highlighted relevant information. Ginny, who needed to know the “far end of everything”, was given an information pack from the hospital detailing the “ins and outs of everything and the risks associated with it”.
Support groups, such as those organised by the Atrial Fibrillation Association (AFA) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF), offered a lifeline for some people with atrial fibrillation. People spoke of the usefulness of leaflets, factsheets, question and answer sections, and booklets available from support groups either by mail or by downloading from the internet. Phone contact provided reassurance and advice.
Eileen praised the leaflets available through the Atrial Fibrillation Association because “they’re printed in a language that everybody can understand.”
Online forums, conferences and local support groups offered an opportunity to meet others, share experiences and learn more about AF. A number of people had found conferences, such as those organised by the Atrial Fibrillation Association (AFA), a useful source of information and an opportunity to speak to others about their experience of AF. Anne described the AFA conferences as “brilliant”. She said she “learnt more from those than I have from any of the doctors”.
David X heard about the new anticoagulant medications at “symposia for the medical profession” to which he was invited and “patient-orientated sessions” at AFA conferences. (For more see Alternatives to warfarin for atrial fibrillation: the new anticoagulants).
Not everyone had access to a local support group, however. Although Nuala has attended meetings in the city, this is “too far away from home” to go regularly. Glyn is not aware of any support groups in his area.
Carin felt she would benefit from being able to meet others with the condition if there was a local support group. Vera would be happy to “talk to other people” about her experiences of AF if she had free time, but was also not aware of the existence of any nearby groups.
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