The UK National Screening Committee has not recommended systematic population screening for atrial fibrillation. But, for those who can afford it, access to ECG screening for atrial fibrillation has already become a reality with the ECG app on the Apple Watch 4 series.
As a GP trainee, I have already seen two patients presenting with Apple Watch ECG tracings. But with no national screening programme in place, who should be responsible for the cost of reviewing these ECGs? And with ever increasing access to affordable home monitoring devices for blood sugar, fetal Dopplers, and private health checks, it seems likely that GPs will be managing an increasing volume of consultations related to false-positives generated by the private sector. Do we need to develop a system for managing the cost of the false-positives generated from private sector work as well as managing consumers’ expectations of the benefits of unvalidated screening?
Perhaps as a bare minimum we need to develop an understanding of the burden of cost that the increasing level of private and home screening is putting on primary care, as well as how much value it may be adding.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2019
