Recently, two new classes of oral anticoagulants have entered the Canadian marketplace. These include dabigatran, a direct thrombin inhibitor, and rivaroxaban, a factor Xa inhibitor. Both drugs offer distinct advantages over warfarin, provide predictable anticoagulation without the need for monitoring, and have different safety and tolerability profiles. It is unknown how Canadian physicians currently assess and manage stroke risk in patients with AF, and it is also unknown how physicians will adopt new oral anticoagulants into their practices. Recent guidelines also highlight the need for physicians to assess bleeding risk in AF patients, something that most physicians do not perform in a systematic manner. Thus, in this new era of stroke prevention strategies and guidelines, a prospective AF registry is clearly warranted to better understand physician approaches to the use of OAC in clinical practice, and to characterize patient variables determining the use of specific agents.