Living with an unfixable heart: a qualitative study exploring the experience of living with advanced heart failure.
Ryan, Marie Farrelly, Mary
Ryan, Marie
Farrelly, Mary
Author
Advisors
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Date
2012-02-01T10:45:28Z
Date Submitted
Keywords
Other Subjects
Subject Mesh
*Adaptation, Psychological
Affective Symptoms/nursing/psychology
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
*Attitude to Health
Depression/nursing/psychology
Fear/psychology
Female
Heart Failure/*nursing/*psychology
Helplessness, Learned
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Nursing Methodology Research
Palliative Care/*methods/psychology
Severity of Illness Index
Social Support
Affective Symptoms/nursing/psychology
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
*Attitude to Health
Depression/nursing/psychology
Fear/psychology
Female
Heart Failure/*nursing/*psychology
Helplessness, Learned
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Nursing Methodology Research
Palliative Care/*methods/psychology
Severity of Illness Index
Social Support
Planned Date
Start Date
Collaborators
Principal Investigators
Alternative Titles
Publisher
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nurses working with patients with advanced heart failure need knowledge that will help us to help patients cope with their situations of chronic illness. However, our knowledge bank is deficient due to the scarcity of inquiry that takes the affected person's point of view as its central focus. AIM: The aim of this study was to describe patients' experiences of living with advanced heart failure. METHODS: The study sample (N=9) consisted of male (N=6) and female (N=3) patients with advanced (NYHA classes III-IV) heart failure. The design was qualitative and open unstructured interviews were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim during 2006. RESULTS: Four main themes emerged: Living in the Shadow of Fear; Running on Empty; Living a Restricted life; and Battling the System. The experience of living with advanced heart failure was described as a fearful and tired sort of living characterised by escalating impotence and dependence. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that there may be an illogical but enduring ethos of 'cure' pervading health care worker's attitudes to advanced heart failure care. This mindset might be working to hinder the application of additional or alternative therapies, which might better palliate the physical and psychosocial distress of patients.
Language
eng
ISSN
1873-1953 (Electronic)
1474-5151 (Linking)
1474-5151 (Linking)
eISSN
ISBN
DOI
10.1016/j.ejcnurse.2009.02.005
PMID
19297250