More than 89,000 participants are enrolled in the SAFER trial — the largest randomised clinical study ever conducted to screen for atrial fibrillation (AF). Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the trial is partnering with 197 GP practices across England to assess whether routine AF screening can help reduce the risk of strokes and other serious health conditions.
AF is a common heart rhythm disorder, particularly among people over 70. It significantly increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, and dementia, yet many individuals remain undiagnosed. Early detection is crucial, as AF can be effectively managed with anticoagulant therapy, which substantially lowers the risk of complications.
Professor Jonathan Mant, chief investigator of the study, highlighted the crucial role of early support: “The School for Primary Care Research funding was an important component of the success of the SAFER programme in that it enabled us to recruit practices for our feasibility study in advance of the programme funding. As a result, we were able to sort out key issues of implementation of screening such as age range to invite, length and frequency of screening, and acceptability from both participant and practice perspectives. It meant that this complex programme stayed on track in the early days so that we had some resilience when the COVID-19 pandemic struck”
The SAFER trial’s findings could guide the NHS in rolling out a nationwide AF screening programme.
Read the full article from the University of Cambridge here.
Further Reading:
- The SAFER study was supported by the earlier SPCR's Screening for Atrial Fibrillation project.
- Blog Post: SAFER: The complete works