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CCU103: Healthcare utilisation of patients with atrial fibrillation in England pre and post COVID-19 pandemic
Safe People
Organisation name
University College London
Organisation sector
Academic Institute
Applicant name(s)
Rui Providencia
Funders/ Sponsors
Safe Projects
Project ID
CCU103
Lay summary
The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on people with heart disease. They faced a higher risk of death and serious health problems. At the same time, healthcare services changed, with more remote check-ups being used, and changes in prescriptions and tests being requested also being observed. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most frequent heart rhythm disturbance. AF results in disorganised electrical activity and contraction of the upper chambers of the heart. It is associated with cardiovascular complications like stroke and heart failure, and non-cardiovascular conditions like sepsis and cancer. We want to study how patients with AF were affected by COVID-19, especially in terms of treatment and hospitalisations. We'll compare data from before March 2020 to data from March 2020 onward. This will help us see if the pandemic worsened their health outcomes and whether any changes in treatment or care are needed.
Public benefit statement
This study will provide valuable insights into healthcare use among patients with atrial fibrillation. This is important for: • Guiding national healthcare policies and resource allocation. • Helping doctors focus on key health issues in AF patients as part of their care plans. • Management not only of the AF, but also of associated cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular conditions and risk factors is recommended. Two of the suggested schemes for improving a holistic AF care management are ABC pathway and HEAD2TOES. However, despite being comprehensive, these schemes may not capture the full complexity and comorbidity profile of AF. • Improving patient understanding of AF as a complex condition that affects both heart health and other body systems. Visit the BHF Data Science Centre website for more detailed information about project outputs. https://bhfdatasciencecentre.org/projects/ccu103/
Technical summary
This project accessed the following datasets within the Trusted Research Environment(s) for CVD-COVID-UK / COVID-IMPACT: - ENGLAND: - Civil Registration - Deaths - Covid-19 Second Generation Surveillance System - Covid-19 UK Non-hospital Antibody Testing Results - Covid-19 UK Non-hospital Antigen Testing Results - COVID-19 Vaccination Adverse Reaction - COVID-19 Vaccination Status - Emergency Care Data Set (ECDS) - GPES Data for Pandemic Planning and Research (COVID-19) - Hospital Episode Statistics Accident and Emergency - Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care - Hospital Episode Statistics Outpatients - Medicines dispensed in Primary Care (NHSBSA data) - Secondary Care Prescribed Medicines (EPMA)
Other approval committees
Project start date
01/04/2025
Project end date
30/03/2026
Latest approval date
10/07/2025
Safe Data
Dataset(s) name
Data sensitivity level
De-Personalised
Release/Access date
10/07/2025
Safe Setting
Access type
TRE