AQW 4332/16-21

Ms Paula Bradshaw
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 30/09/2016
Answered On Date: 19/10/2016
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health how many people were screened for atrial fibrillation in each Health and Social Care Trust in (i) 2013-14; (ii) 2014-15; and (iii) 2015-16 financial years.

Answer:

Screening for atrial fibrillation has been considered by National Screening Committee (NSC), an expert body that advises on screening programmes.

In July 2014, the NSC recommended that screening for atrial fibrillation should not be offered. This is because:

the treatment and care for people with atrial fibrillation is not optimal;

better evidence is needed about whether atrial fibrillation, detected at screening, carries the same long term risk of stroke as atrial fibrillation found in the context of other conditions; and

the test needs to be improved and standardised.

NSC will be commissioning an update review of any new evidence in 2017/2018.