title: [Rules of good clinical practice for atrial fibrillation in family practice].
abstract: The epidemiologic observations show that atrial fibrillation is a major challenge of public health. This article underlines the central role of the general practitioner to detect and treat the arrhythmia precociously, and to follow attentively the treatment (in particular, but not only, anticoagulant and antiarrhythmic therapies). The choice between various therapeutic strategies is reviewed. The family practitioner is also placed best to educate the patient to manage his pathology and his treatment in an optimal way. Pharmacological prospects exceeding the antiarrhythmic ones are evoked, as well as the contribution of nonpharmacological strategies, either already accepted in current practice, or under development.
authors.affiliation: Service de Cardiologie, Hôpital Erasme, Bruxelles.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schoenfeld
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stoupel
mesh_terms: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004554:Electric Countershock; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000925:Anticoagulants; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers