Rapid Access Atrial Fibrillation Clinics Project

Atrial fibrillation (irregular and often rapid heart rate) is the leading cause of stroke and a frequent cause of hospital admission for Victorians. Access to timely and focused healthcare following a heart event can dramatically reduce the risk of stroke and poor health outcomes. 

In this state-funded project, we partnered with six regional Victorian health services to establish six new rapid access atrial fibrillation clinics. Regional Victorians who presented to participating health services (or their partner sites) with atrial fibrillation were referred to a rapid access atrial fibrillation clinic, offered as face to face and telehealth consultations.

Outcomes

2024 patients received specialist care at the clinics, leading to improved management of atrial fibrillation in the form of increased testing for stroke risk and bleeding and provision of care plans. Patient wait times from referral to being seen by a specialist doctor reduced to an average of 3 weeks - a significant improvement compared to pre-pilot wait times of up to 3 months. 25% of patients experienced improvements in health-related quality of life, while emergency department re-presentations and hospital readmissions were comparatively low.

Following the successful outcomes of the pilot, most participating health services planned to embed the Rapid Access Atrial Fibrillation Clinic into their usual services.

To read more about the project and its results, see our summary report.