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Patients' understandings of heart attack: implications for prevention of recurrence

Patients' understandings of heart attack: implications for prevention of recurrence
Patients' understandings of heart attack: implications for prevention of recurrence
Patients' willingness to undertake secondary preventive strategies following heart attack are likely to be affected by their understandings of their condition. This qualitative study explored patients' understandings of heart attack in order to contribute to the design of effective secondary prevention services. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 patients with myocardial infarction (MI). These data indicate that information received from health professionals encourages patients to view heart attack as an acute event rather than a symptom of a chronic condition and that this understanding provides patients with low motivation for long-term lifestyle change. Patients may benefit from understanding a heart attack as an acute symptom of an underlying disease process which long-term medication and behavioural change can help to check. In order to achieve this, health professionals need to examine patients' understandings of their heart attack and recovery and to provide information about lifestyle which engages with these understandings.
patient, health, professional, acute, chronic, disease
0738-3991
161 - 169
Wiles, R.
5bdc597b-716c-4f60-9f45-631ecca25571
Kinmouth, A-L.
01976e4d-e598-4b68-9d2b-191bb13e4b43
Wiles, R.
5bdc597b-716c-4f60-9f45-631ecca25571
Kinmouth, A-L.
01976e4d-e598-4b68-9d2b-191bb13e4b43

Wiles, R. and Kinmouth, A-L. (2001) Patients' understandings of heart attack: implications for prevention of recurrence. Patient Education and Counselling, 44 (2), 161 - 169.

Record type: Article

Abstract

Patients' willingness to undertake secondary preventive strategies following heart attack are likely to be affected by their understandings of their condition. This qualitative study explored patients' understandings of heart attack in order to contribute to the design of effective secondary prevention services. In-depth interviews were conducted with 25 patients with myocardial infarction (MI). These data indicate that information received from health professionals encourages patients to view heart attack as an acute event rather than a symptom of a chronic condition and that this understanding provides patients with low motivation for long-term lifestyle change. Patients may benefit from understanding a heart attack as an acute symptom of an underlying disease process which long-term medication and behavioural change can help to check. In order to achieve this, health professionals need to examine patients' understandings of their heart attack and recovery and to provide information about lifestyle which engages with these understandings.

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More information

Published date: 2001
Keywords: patient, health, professional, acute, chronic, disease
Organisations: Social Sciences, Health Profs and Rehabilitation Sciences

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 18109
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/18109
ISSN: 0738-3991
PURE UUID: 99b488a0-1050-446c-a442-b031a4bc9296

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 27 Oct 2005
Last modified: 07 Jan 2022 22:00

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Contributors

Author: R. Wiles
Author: A-L. Kinmouth

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