TITLE:
Factors influencing female patients’ recovery after their first myocardial infarction as experienced by cardiac rehabilitation nurses
AUTHORS:
Inger Wieslander, Jan Mårtensson, Bengt Fridlund, Petra Svedberg
KEYWORDS:
Cardiac Rehabilitation Nurses; Myocardial Infarction; Recovery; Transition Process; Women
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.3 No.2,
June
3,
2013
ABSTRACT: Background: In the developed part of the world, coronary heart disease is the major cause of death and is one of the leading
causes of disease burden. In Sweden, more than 30,000 people per year are affected
by myocardial infarction and out of these approximately 40% are women. Nearly
70% of the women survive and after a myocardial infarction a recovery process
follows. Today’s health care focuses more on treatment, symptoms and risk
factors than on the individuals’ perceptions of the recovery process. Aim: To
explore cardiac rehabilitation nurses’ experiences of factors influencing female patients’ recovery after their first
myocardial infarction. Methods: Twenty cardiac rehabilitation nurses were
interviewed. The study was conducted using qualitative content analysis. Results: The cardiac rehabilitation nurses experienced that women’s recovery after a first myocardial infarction was influenced
whether they had a supportive context, their ability to cope with the
stresses of life, if they wanted to be involved in their own personal care
and how they related to themselves. Conclusions: Women’s recovery after a
myocardial infarction was influenced by factors related to surroundings as
well as own individual factors. The underlying meaning of women’s recovery
can be described as the transition process of a recovery to health. Our
findings suggest that a focus on person-centered nursing would be beneficial
in order to promote the every woman’s personal and unique recovery after a
myocardial infarction. Finally, the cardiac rehabilitation nurses’
experiences of factors influencing male patients’ recovery after their first myocardial infarction should be important to investigate.