General practitioners' (GPs') awareness of the Australian Atrial Fibrillation (AF) Screening Guidelines and their practice of AF-screening

![CDATA[Background: AF is often diagnosed and managed by GPs. In 2018 Australia's first guidelines for diagnosis and management of AF were published. Our aim was to investigate among GPs their awareness of the AF Guidelines and their approach to AF-screening. Methods: The results from an online survey promoted through a variety of routes to GPs and GP registrars in Australia was analysed using SPSS. The survey included questions on knowledge of AF, AF-screening and use of ECG devices. Ethics approval was granted by University of Sydney. Results: From October-2018 to January-2019, 413 participants completed the survey: 56% were from major cities across Australia, 71% were female, and 58% had <10 years of experience as GPs. 37% were aware of the new AF guidelines. Awareness rates were similar by location of practice (38% versus 37% for major cities and outside major cities, p = 0.8), and GP experience suggested a possible difference (34% versus 42% for <10 and ≥10 years, p = 0.08). However, female and male respondents significantly differed in awareness (34% versus 47%, respectively, p = 0.01). Comparing those who were aware and unaware of the Guidelines, we found 99% versus 77% used at least one AF-screening method and 46% versus 23% used two or more methods. The main method used was pulse palpation, followed by 12-lead ECG. Use of mobile screening devices was limited in both groups (Table 1). Conclusion: Respondents who were aware of the Guidelines were more likely to perform AF-screening on asymptomatic patients and used mainly pulse palpation or 12-lead ECG.]]