OBJECTIVES: Atrial Fibrillation is the most frequent heart disorder, linked to significant morbidity and mortality due to stroke and thromboembolism. The current study was conducted at Yekatit 12 referral hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with the aim of determining the appropriateness of oral anticoagulation management practice among Atrial Fibrillation patients.

METHODS: This study was institutional based a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out from November 2019 – March 2020 in Yekatit 12 referral hospital. 256 patients' medical records were identified during the study period, 231 of them meeting the eligibility requirements and being included in the study. SPSS version 25 was used to summarize using descriptive statistic and binary logistic regression was undertaken to identify predictive variables. The study was approved by the Yekatit 12 referral hospital's department of internal medicine, and consent was obtained from Addis Ababa University's school of pharmacy.

RESULTS: The majority of study participants (61.9%) were on anticoagulation treatment. Warfarin was the drug of choice for (71.3%) of the study participants. (6.3%) receiving both warfarin and aspirin, (47.6%) of the study participants had inappropriate anticoagulation care. From these the majority of them (69.1%) were from valvular type of Atrial Fibrillation. All of the inappropriate cases occurred as a result of inadequate coagulation or failure to initiate anticoagulan

CONCLUSIONS: The study found that a substantial number of Atrial Fibrillation patients received inadequate anticoagulation therapy, which may play a significant role in the increased risk of stroke in these groups of patients. The study found that patients with valvular Atrial Fibrillation and those who have comorbid congestive heart failure are more likely to have inadequate anticoagulation treatment.