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Published on: July 12, 2024
Living with advanced heart failure: A qualitative study
Caterina Checa1,2,3, Laura Medina-Perucha1, Miguel-Ángel Muñoz1,3,4
1Fundació Institut Universitari per a la recerca a l'Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAPJGol), Barcelona, Spain.
Insights
Patients with advanced heart failure (HF) experience poor communication and external locus of control. Tailored interventions considering gender differences and social support are crucial for managing HF.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Qualitative Health Research
- Patient Experience
Background:
- Limited understanding of lived experiences in advanced heart failure (HF).
- Need for holistic perspectives in primary care for HF patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the experiences of advanced heart failure patients receiving home care.
- To understand coping mechanisms and perceptions of disease management.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative phenomenological study.
- Twelve in-depth interviews with advanced HF patients (aged >65).
- Analysis using Leventhal's framework.
Main Results:
- Patients reported insufficient information and poor communication with healthcare professionals.
- Gender differences in emotional representation and coping were observed.
- External locus of control and reliance on social support were prominent.
Conclusions:
- Advanced HF patients perceive external locus of control.
- Healthcare interventions should incorporate gender-specific emotional support.
- Enhanced communication and social support are vital for patient well-being.
Introduction:
Information about how patients with advanced heart failure (HF) live and cope with their disease remains scarce. The objective of this study was to explore, from phenomenological and holistic perspectives, the experiences of patients suffering from advanced HF, attended at home in the primary care setting in 2018.
Materials And Methods:
Qualitative study conducted in 4 primary healthcare centers in Barcelona (Spain). Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted in advanced HF patients, aged over 65 and visited regularly at home. We developed a purposeful sampling, accounting for variability in gender, age, and socioeconomic level. Leventhal's framework was used to analyze the interviews.
Results:
Participants received insufficient and contradictory information about HF. They talked about their cognitive representation and claimed a better communication with healthcare professionals. Due to their advanced age, subjects considered their daily living limitations to be normal rather than as a consequence of HF. Gender differences in emotional representation were clearly observed. Women considered themselves the keystone of correct family "functioning" and thought that they were not useful if they could not correspond to gendered societal expectations. Cognitive coping strategies included specific diets, taking medication, and registering weight and blood pressure. Nevertheless, they perceived the locus of control as external and felt unable to manage HF progression. Their emotional coping strategies included some activities at home such as watching television and reading. Social support was perceived crucial to the whole process.
Conclusions:
Locus of control in advanced HF was perceived as external. Healthcare professionals should adapt emotional health interventions in patients with advanced HF based on a gender perspective. Social support was found to be crucial in facing the disease. Patients reported poor communication with healthcare professionals.
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