The patient’s perspective is becoming increasingly important in clinical and policy decisions. This study examined atrial fibrillation (AF) patient preferences for different characteristics of nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs).

Since the introduction of non-vitamin K antagonist (VKA) oral anticoagulants (NOACs), an additional treatment option, apart from VKAs, has become available for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). For various reasons, it is important to consider patients’ preferences regarding the type of medication, particularly given the established relationship between preferences towards treatment, associated burden of therapy, and treatment adherence. This review aimed to systematically analyze the scientific literature assessing the preferences of AF patients with regard to long-term oral anticoagulant (OAC) treatment.

Medication non-adherence is a major challenge in the real-life treatment of chronically ill patients. To meet this challenge, adherence interventions with a tailored approach towards patient-specific adherence barriers identified with a reliable and practicable questionnaire are needed. This investigation aimed to develop and validate such a questionnaire, the “Adherence Barriers Questionnaire (ABQ)”.