Screening in Primary Care Clinics Is Found Ineffective for Finding Undiagnosed Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality; however, this is established mostly from data on clinically diagnosed AF. Whether AF found incidentally or through screening asymptomatic individuals can increase the diagnosis of AF (and, ultimately, decrease adverse health outcomes by treating it) is still unclear.

In an industry-funded, cluster-randomized, controlled trial, investigators tested whether point-of-care screening was more effective than usual care for diagnosing new AF in primary-care settings. Sixteen clinics were randomized to screen all patients aged ≥65 using a handheld, single-lead electrocardiogram for 30 seconds or to provide usual care.

Among 30,715 patients without prevalent AF, the rate …