Private area for Site Staff of the  Interventional Study

Atrial Fibrillation
Integrated Approach

An integrated patient-centred holistic care pathway for the management of older patients with multimorbidity to enhance cooperation among different health disciplines and promote a shared decision-making process.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots in the heart, AF increases the risk of stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

Affirmo Final Conference: Hybrid conference, 8 September 2026, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, at Aalborg University in Copenhagen and on Teams: Transforming Integrated Care Pathways for Clinically Complex Older Adults with Multimorbidity. Join the AFFIRMO Hybrid Conference to explore innovative, patient-centred solutions for atrial fibrillation care, with a focus on multimorbidity, integrated care pathways, and improving outcomes for older people across Europe. Funded by the European Union.

Integrated care pathway

The current healthcare approach to multimorbidity is fragmented. AFFIRMO aims to move from fragmentation to an integrated pathway designed to be Patient-centred, Systemic and Digital

Patient-centered

AFFIRMO's care pathway will account of personal preferences for treatment and considers the social context of patients. The treatment strategy will be the result of a shared decision-making process.

Systemic

AFFIRMO's care pathway will enable synergies and cooperation among the different health disciplines involved in the treatment of patients with multimorbidity.

Digital

AFFIRMO's care pathway will rely on a digital platform, based on open standards, developed to assist physicians in applying and tailoring a personalised care strategy.

The workplan

AFFIRMO’s integrated care pathway will focus on Atrial Fibrillation (AF), a cardiac arrhythmia associated with high risk of morbidity. The workplan is structured around three research areas:

Clusters of multimorbidity

Researchers will characterize how different patterns of multimorbidity are distributed within the population of older individuals with AF.

Combining multiple analysis techniques, the team will investigate the reciprocal relationships between the most common diseases and AF. Drug patterns and potential drug reactions will also be addressed.

Stakeholder involvement

The project will assess the needs of patients, caregivers, and health professionals for the comprehensive management of multimorbidity (including AF) and examines ways of optimizing care and self-management.

Data will be collected though surveys and interviews. The goal is to develop a set of quality performance indicators (QPIs) to support the co-designing process of the care approach proposed by AFFIRMO.

Integrated care pathway

AFFIRMO will develop, implement and test patient-cantered approach on older multimorbid AF patients in the clinical practice. The proposed approach will rely on a digital platform designed to bring patients, caregivers, and health professionals closer together through information sharing.

An international clinic study will be performed to assess the effectiveness of the AFFIRMO’s care approach. Researchers will also consider the economic dimension by identifying how the integrated pathway will impact health outcomes and costs.

Consortium

A multidisciplinary consortium across Europe representing clinical research, epidemiology, data science, biostatistics, pharmacology, economics, psychology and social sciences.

AALBORG UNIVERSITET
Coordinator
THE UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL
UNIVERSITEIT GENT
KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE
UNIVERSITATEA DE MEDICINA SI FARMACIE “CAROL DAVILA”
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA
UNIVERSITY OF BELGRADE
MOVERIM SRL
ADVICE PHARMA GROUP S.R.L.
ONTONIX S.R.L.
ARRHYTHMIA ALLIANCE
EUROPEAN GERIATRIC MEDICINE SOCIETY
ISTITUTO SUPERIORE DI SANITÀ
UNIVERSITÀ CATTOLICA DEL SACRO CUORE
HEART CARE FOUNDATION ONLUS
THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOR INNOVATION THROUGH HEALTH DATA
THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
UNIVERSIDAD DE MURCIA
MEDITCINSKY UNIVERSITET - PLOVDIV

Check our latest news

AFFIRMO Final Conference brings together experts to shape the future of personalised care

On 8 September 2026, the AFFIRMO project held its Final Conference, bringing together leading experts, researchers, clinicians, policymakers and patient representatives to reflect on the project’s results and discuss the future of integrated and personalised care for older people living with atrial fibrillation and multimorbidity.

  • 11 September 2026

AFFIRMO at ESC Congress 2026: multimorbidity and clinical trial results presented in Munich

Professor Gregory Lip and Professor Deirdre Lane from the University of Liverpool, together with Professor Davide Liborio Vetrano from Karolinska Institutet represented AFFIRMO at ESC Congress 2026, held in Munich from 28 to 31 August 2026.

  • 02 September 2026

AF Awareness Month 2026: Why information on atrial fibrillation matters to AFFIRMO

Each September, clinical societies, patient organisations and research groups across Europe and beyond mark Atrial Fibrillation Awareness Month. The campaign is dedicated to the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia: a condition that more than doubles the relative risk of ischaemic stroke and whose prevalence is expected to rise substantially.

  • 01 September 2026

You are not alone: Professor Gregory Lip answers patients’ questions on Atrial Fibrillation and Anticoagulation

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the world and for adults over 40 the lifetime risk of developing it is roughly one in three. That was the starting point of a coffee morning hosted by the Atrial Fibrillation Association in which Professor Gregory Lip spent nearly half an hour answering questions from patients and their families.

  • 28 August 2026
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