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Novel methodology for the evaluation of symptoms reported by patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation : Application of natural language processing to electronic medical records data

Reynolds, Matthew R. ; Bunch, Thomas Jared ; Steinberg, Benjamin A. ; Ronk, Christopher J. ; Kim, Hankyul ; Wieloch, Mattias LU and Lip, Gregory Y. H. (2023) In Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology 34(4). p.790-799
Abstract

Introduction: Understanding symptom patterns in atrial fibrillation (AF) can help in disease management. We report on the application of natural language processing (NLP) to electronic medical records (EMRs) to capture symptom reports in patients with newly diagnosed (incident) AF. Methods and Results: This observational retrospective study included adult patients with an index diagnosis of incident AF during January 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018, in the Optum datasets. The baseline and follow-up periods were 1 year before/after the index date, respectively. The primary objective was identification of the following predefined symptom reports: dyspnea or shortness of breath; syncope, presyncope, lightheadedness, or dizziness; chest pain;... (More)

Introduction: Understanding symptom patterns in atrial fibrillation (AF) can help in disease management. We report on the application of natural language processing (NLP) to electronic medical records (EMRs) to capture symptom reports in patients with newly diagnosed (incident) AF. Methods and Results: This observational retrospective study included adult patients with an index diagnosis of incident AF during January 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018, in the Optum datasets. The baseline and follow-up periods were 1 year before/after the index date, respectively. The primary objective was identification of the following predefined symptom reports: dyspnea or shortness of breath; syncope, presyncope, lightheadedness, or dizziness; chest pain; fatigue; and palpitations. In an exploratory analysis, the incidence rates of symptom reports and cardiovascular hospitalization were assessed in propensity-matched patient cohorts with incident AF receiving first-line dronedarone or sotalol. Among 30 447 patients with an index AF diagnosis, the NLP algorithm identified at least 1 predefined symptom in 9734 (31.9%) patients. The incidence rate of symptom reports was highest at 0–3 months post-diagnosis and lower at >3–6 and >6–12 months (pre-defined timepoints). Across all time periods, the most common symptoms were dyspnea or shortness of breath, followed by syncope, presyncope, lightheadedness, or dizziness. Similar temporal patterns of symptom reports were observed among patients with prescriptions for dronedarone or sotalol as first-line treatment. Conclusion: This study illustrates that NLP can be applied to EMR data to characterize symptom reports in patients with incident AF, and the potential for these methods to inform comparative effectiveness.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
atrial fibrillation, dronedarone, electronic medical records, natural language processing, sotalol
in
Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology
volume
34
issue
4
pages
790 - 799
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • pmid:36542764
  • scopus:85145752130
ISSN
1045-3873
DOI
10.1111/jce.15784
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
96965bea-d8bf-4c25-8015-1255164ee1b3
date added to LUP
2023-02-09 11:11:42
date last changed
2024-04-16 07:30:48
@article{96965bea-d8bf-4c25-8015-1255164ee1b3,
  abstract     = {{<p>Introduction: Understanding symptom patterns in atrial fibrillation (AF) can help in disease management. We report on the application of natural language processing (NLP) to electronic medical records (EMRs) to capture symptom reports in patients with newly diagnosed (incident) AF. Methods and Results: This observational retrospective study included adult patients with an index diagnosis of incident AF during January 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018, in the Optum datasets. The baseline and follow-up periods were 1 year before/after the index date, respectively. The primary objective was identification of the following predefined symptom reports: dyspnea or shortness of breath; syncope, presyncope, lightheadedness, or dizziness; chest pain; fatigue; and palpitations. In an exploratory analysis, the incidence rates of symptom reports and cardiovascular hospitalization were assessed in propensity-matched patient cohorts with incident AF receiving first-line dronedarone or sotalol. Among 30 447 patients with an index AF diagnosis, the NLP algorithm identified at least 1 predefined symptom in 9734 (31.9%) patients. The incidence rate of symptom reports was highest at 0–3 months post-diagnosis and lower at &gt;3–6 and &gt;6–12 months (pre-defined timepoints). Across all time periods, the most common symptoms were dyspnea or shortness of breath, followed by syncope, presyncope, lightheadedness, or dizziness. Similar temporal patterns of symptom reports were observed among patients with prescriptions for dronedarone or sotalol as first-line treatment. Conclusion: This study illustrates that NLP can be applied to EMR data to characterize symptom reports in patients with incident AF, and the potential for these methods to inform comparative effectiveness.</p>}},
  author       = {{Reynolds, Matthew R. and Bunch, Thomas Jared and Steinberg, Benjamin A. and Ronk, Christopher J. and Kim, Hankyul and Wieloch, Mattias and Lip, Gregory Y. H.}},
  issn         = {{1045-3873}},
  keywords     = {{atrial fibrillation; dronedarone; electronic medical records; natural language processing; sotalol}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{790--799}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology}},
  title        = {{Novel methodology for the evaluation of symptoms reported by patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation : Application of natural language processing to electronic medical records data}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jce.15784}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/jce.15784}},
  volume       = {{34}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}