Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Atrial fibrillation is a condition where the heart beats irregularly. People with this heart problem have five times the chance of having a big stroke than those without this problem. A group of medications called "blood thinners" can decrease the risk of stroke. Warfarin is a type of blood thinner. Patients on warfarin need multiple blood tests. It is difficult for patients to take warfarin. Big studies showed that a group of newer blood thinners are just as good as warfarin. The newer blood thinners are easier to take. They do not require blood tests. However, they are more expensive. Patients without drug insurance cannot afford them. Some drug insurance companies do not pay for them. Also, big studies only follow participating patients for one to two years. Outside of big studies, our understanding of the newer blood thinners is less good. Our study aims to understand how good are the newer blood thinners at preventing stroke and death in the real world compared to warfarin or no blood thinning medications. First, we will find all the patients with atrial fibrillation between January 2009 and December 2015 in the province of Alberta. Next, we will find all the prescriptions for blood thinners (warfarin and the newer ones) by doctors in Alberta. Last, we will calculate the number of patients who suffered a stroke or who died during our study. This will help us understand if blood thinners prescribed in Alberta are helping patients. We can also see if some medications work better than others. If we find that the newer blood thinners work better than the older one at preventing stroke and death, our results can help patients get better access to the newer blood thinners.