•  
  •  
 

Abstract

Few studies have addressed the experience of living with chronic heart disease. Understanding how persons appraise and respond to heart disease will foster nurses' ability to provide holistic client care. The purpose of this pilot study was to extend understanding of the experience of living with chronic heart disease and to identify questions for further study. Qualitative inquiry was the interpretive approach guiding this descriptive explorative study. Individuals eligible for participation were (a) 18 years or older, (b) able to read and speak English, and (c) at least 1 year post acute cardiac event and free of chronic illness unrelated to heart disease. A purposive sample of 4 women and 6 men with chronic heart disease participated in the study. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and the Mishel Uncertainty in Illness Scale (MUIS-C) and analyzed for common themes. Four themes emerged: (a) Uncertainty, (b) change over time, (c) conflict, and (d) playing the game. Living with heart disease is a dynamic experience characterized by periods of certainty, uncertainty, and changes in behavior and feelings that evolve over time. Understanding this experience will assist nurses in providing holistic care to clients and their family.

Keywords

qualitative research

Publication Date

12-1-1997

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/1997.2012

Share

Submission Location

 
COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.