A qualitative study of men's experience of myocardial infarction

Jane Margaret Hutton1, Sarah Jane Perkins

  • 1Department of Psychological Medicine, King's College Hospital, London and South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, London, UK. j.hutton@iop.kcl.ac.uk

Insights

This study explores how men experience myocardial infarction and cardiac rehabilitation, finding themes related to self-perception, illness, and coping. Understanding these male experiences can improve cardiac rehabilitation services.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Psychology
  • Qualitative Health Research

Background:

  • Most myocardial infarction (MI) patients in cardiac rehabilitation are male, with better outcomes reported for men.
  • A gap exists in qualitative research exploring men's lived experiences of MI and cardiac rehabilitation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To qualitatively explore how men experience myocardial infarction.
  • To understand men's experiences within cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Main Methods:

  • Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten men recently diagnosed with myocardial infarction.
  • Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze interview transcripts.

Main Results:

  • Emergent themes include men's views of self, illness, and the future.
  • Coping mechanisms and experiences with cardiac rehabilitation services were identified.
  • Findings are discussed in relation to existing literature, including studies on women's experiences.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the subjective experiences of men post-MI is crucial for tailoring cardiac rehabilitation.
  • Identified themes offer insights for improving healthcare services and future research directions for male cardiac patients.

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