A New Perspective on Missed Nursing Care in the Emergency Department: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: This descriptive cross-sectional study describes missed nursing care, quality of care, and patient safety rated by nursing staff in emergency departments. Required patient care that is omitted or delayed (missed nursing care) is associated with poorer quality of care and increased risk for adverse events, but studies are scarce in the emergency setting. METHODS: Emergency registered nurses and nursing assistants (N=126) at 2 Swedish emergency departments participated in the study. The MISSCARE survey-Swedish version was used for data collection. RESULTS: Emergency nursing staff assessed that nursing care is frequently missed in the emergency department. More than half of the 24 nursing care items were reported as missed by over 50% of the participants, and registered nurses rated most items significantly higher compared to nursing assistants. Half of the nursing staff perceived quality of care to be good, but nearly the same proportion perceived patient safety as poor. Registered nurses viewed both quality and safety worse than nursing assistants. DISCUSSION: The present study found very high levels of missed nursing care in most nursing items. Results indicate that nursing staff in emergency departments need to prioritize between the tasks and that some tasks may not be relevant in the context. The emergency setting focuses primarily on identifying signs of urgency, assessing patients, performing interventions, and diagnostics. However, even items that seemed to be prioritized, such as reassessment of vital signs, had a surprisingly high level of missed nursing care in comparison to in-hospital wards.

Management of modifiable risk factors and comorbidities in atrial fibrillation: suggestions for improvement from a patient perspective.

AIMS: In patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), improved management of modifiable risk factors and concomitant diseases is recommended by guidelines, yet many AF patients have sub-optimal risk factor management. Digital health solutions may offer support in this matter. This study aims to identify how patients with AF perceive they could be supported by a digital tool aimed to optimize management of comorbidities and modifiable risk factors associated with an unhealthy lifestyle. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a qualitative, descriptive study based on four semi-structured focus-group interviews analysed by manifest content analysis. Sixteen AF patients with recent in- or outpatient encounters were included [age 68 (52-78) years; 43% female; BMI 29.5 (20.4-35.8) kg/m2; paroxysmal/persistent AF (50%/50%); AF duration 7 (0-22) years]. Relevant comorbidities were hypertension (88%), heart failure (25%), diabetes mellitus type 2 (19%), and ischaemic heart disease (13%). The patients' suggestions were summarized into three main categories. First, person-centred information is essential, meaning that information should be customized and conveyed in an appropriate manner and include practical tips. Second, patients desire help with managing lifestyle habits in a way that is applicable in everyday life, and patients desire help with creating habits. Third, regular communication is necessary including inspirational reminders and motivational feedback. CONCLUSION: Patients with AF request person-centred information, support in managing healthy lifestyle habits, and more regular communication with caregivers. This study provides a first foundation on how to better support AF patients, and using a digital tool in standard care may improve outcomes and reduce cost of care.

Missed nursing care in relation to registered nurses' level of education and self-reported evidence-based practice.

BACKGROUND: Patient safety is one of the cornerstones of high-quality healthcare systems. Evidence-based practice is one way to improve patient safety from the nursing perspective. Another aspect of care that directly influences patient safety is missed nursing care. However, research on possible associations between evidence-based practice and missed nursing care is lacking. AIM: The aim of this study was to examine associations between registered nurses' educational level, the capability beliefs and use of evidence-based practice, and missed nursing care. METHODS: This study had a cross-sectional design. A total of 228 registered nurses from adult inpatient wards at a university hospital participated. Data were collected with the MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version of Evidence-Based Practice Capabilities Beliefs Scale. RESULTS: Most missed nursing care was reported within the subscales Basic Care and Planning. Nurses holding a higher educational level and being low evidence-based practice users reported significantly more missed nursing care. They also scored significantly higher on the Evidence-based Practice Capabilities Beliefs Scale. The analyses showed a limited explanation of the variance of missed nursing care and revealed that being a high user of evidence-based practice indicated less reported missed nursing care, while a higher educational level meant more reported missed nursing care. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: Most missed nursing care was reported within the subscales Planning and Basic Care. Thus, nursing activities are deprioritized in comparison to medical activities. Nurses holding a higher education reported more missed nursing care, indicating that higher education entails deeper knowledge of the consequences when rationing nursing care. They also reported varied use of evidence-based practice, showing that higher education is not the only factor that matters. To decrease missed nursing care in clinical practice, and thereby increase the quality of care, educational level, use of evidence-based practice, and organizational factors must be considered.

Suffering in silence - Cardiac surgery patients recalling hypoactive delirium a qualitative descriptive study.

OBJECTIVES: Postoperative delirium affects up to 50% of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Delirium phenotypes are commonly divided into hyperactive and hypoactive, with hypoactive symptoms (reduced motor activity and withdrawal) often being overlooked due to their discreet character. Although the consequences of hypoactive delirium are severe, studies focusing on patients' experiences of hypoactive delirium are scarce. The aim of the study was to describe cardiac surgery patients' experiences of hypoactive delirium. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/DESIGN: We used qualitative descriptive semi-structured interviews with an inductive, latent approach. Twelve patients with hypoactive symptoms of delirium after cardiac surgery were purposefully selected. Interview data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. FINDINGS: Two themes based on eight sub-themes emerged. "Dream or reality in parallel worlds" included disturbing experiences of existing in parallel realities with cognitive effects, residual nightmares, and illusions that occasionally persisted after hospital discharge. "Managing the state of hypoactive delirium" included experiences of intellectually dealing with hypoactive delirium with assumptions of causes and cures, and through interactions like communicating with others. CONCLUSION: Participants experienced hypoactive delirium as extensive and long-lasting with perceptions of existing in parallel realities. The findings emphasize the need for healthcare professionals to have expertise in hypoactive delirium and its fluctuating course, as the delirium of many patients may be undetected and undiagnosed. Improving the use of screening tools for clinical practice is essential for the detection of hypoactive delirium, and a person-centred approach is needed to properly care for this group of patients. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: The challenges in the recognition of hypoactive delirium need to be emphasized because the syndrome is still overlooked. The use of screening tools in clinical practice is essential. A person-centred approach supports relationships between delirious patients and healthcare professionals.

Differences between Registered Nurses and nurse assistants around missed nursing care-An observational, comparative study.

BACKGROUND: From a nursing perspective, tasks that are not carried out, and the consequences of this, have been studied for over a decade. The difference between Registered Nurses (RNs) and nurse assistants (NAs) regarding qualifications and work tasks, and the profound knowledge around RN-to-patient ratios, warrants investigating missed nursing care (MNC) for each group rather than as one (nursing staff). AIM: To describe and compare RNs and NAs ratings of and reasons for MNC at in-hospital wards. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with a comparative approach. RNs and NAs at in-hospital medical and surgical wards for adults were invited to answer the MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version, including questions on patient safety and quality of care. RESULTS: A total of 205 RNs and 219 NAs answered the questionnaire. Quality of care and patient safety was rated as good by both RNs and NAs. Compared to NAs, RNs reported more MNC, for example, in the item 'Turning patient every 2 h' (p < 0.001), 'Ambulation three times per day or as ordered' (p = 0.018), and 'Mouth care' (p < 0.001). NAs reported more MNC in the items 'Medications administered within 30 min before or after scheduled time' (p = 0.005), and 'Patient medication requests acted on within 15 min' (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found between the samples concerning reasons for MNC. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that RNs' and NAs' ratings of MNC to a large extent differed between the groups. RNs and NAs should be viewed as separate groups based on their different knowledge levels and roles when caring for patients. Thus, viewing all nursing staff as a homogenous group in MNC research may mask important differences between the groups. These differences are important to address when taking actions to reduce MNC in the clinical setting.

The patient's experience of participation when admitted for elective surgical procedures: an interview study.

PURPOSE: To describe the patient's experience of participation in their care when admitted for elective surgical procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A purposive sample of 14 patients who had undergone elective surgery was included in semi-structured individual interviews at a university hospital. The data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: One theme was identified: Creating a meaningful relationship to enable participation in the care, based on three categories; Abilities, willingness, and a lack of experience affect participation, A professional approach with an open communication and individualized information, and The importance of structural factors. CONCLUSIONS: To meet the patient's individual needs and wishes regarding participation, meaningful relationships need to be created between patient and healthcare personnel. The results also indicate that the patients have insufficient knowledge about their role regarding participation. To improve patient participation, its meaning needs to be clarified individually to the patient, emphasizing the importance to be active involved in his or her own care.

"My head feels like it has gone through a mixer" - a qualitative interview study on recovery 1 year after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

PURPOSE: To describe patients' perceived and expected recovery 1 year after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 persons 1 year after aSAH. Inductive manifest qualitative content analysis was used. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in two categories and seven subcategories. The category "A spectrum of varying experiences of recovery" includes four subcategories describing physical recovery, mental recovery, alterations in social life, and perceived possibilities to return to normality. Some informants felt that life was almost as before, while others described a completely different life, including a new view of self, altered relationships, not being able to return to work, and effects on personal finances. The category "A spectrum of reflections and expectations of recovery" comprises three subcategories depicturing that expectations of recovery were influenced by existential thoughts, describing what they based own expectations of recovery on, and how expectations from others influenced them. CONCLUSIONS: aSAH was perceived as a life-changing event. The changes impacted on informants' view of self and relationships, and they perceived new barriers in their living conditions. Lack of information on expected recovery was expressed and expectations of recovery were at times unrealistic.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONContracting an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) is a life-changing event with possible impact on a variety of areas in daily life.There is a need for improved information to aSAH survivors and their significant others on the course of the recovery and possible long-term consequences.aSAH survivors may need assistance to balance unrealistic expectations on recovery.

Perceptions of delay when afflicted by an acute myocardial infarction during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

AIMS: To describe the perceptions of delay in medical care-seeking, when afflicted by an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during the first wave of the pandemic. METHODS AND RESULTS: A qualitative descriptive study with an inductive approach. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted, analysed by qualitative content analysis with a manifest approach. One category and six sub-categories emerged. The decision was reached when the health threat was perceived as critical, which made the earlier thoughts of the pandemic fade away. The risk of infection during medical visits caused fear of contracting the disease. This resulted in hesitation, neglect of symptoms, and avoidance of healthcare visits. Following recommendations from authorities and media about personal responsibility was motivated by fear, affecting the care-seeking. CONCLUSION: It appears that the COVID-19 pandemic raised the threshold for deciding to seek medical care when presenting with an AMI. The pandemic led to increased patient delay due to several reasons among which fear of contracting the disease was prominent. The emotion of fear was related to the external threat to one's own health, due to COVID-19, and not fear of symptoms related to an AMI. The media reporting the healthcare system as overloaded increased insecurity and may have had an influence on delay.

Missed nursing care in the critical care unit, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: Todescribe and evaluate reported missed nursing care in the critical care context during different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: A comparative cross-sectional design was used, comparing missed nursing care in three samples: before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, during the second wave of the pandemic in spring 2020, and during the third wave of the pandemic in fall 2021. SETTING: The study was conducted at critical care units at a university hospital, Sweden. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version was used to collect data along with two study-specific questions concerning perception of patient safety and quality of care. RESULTS: Significantly more overtime hours and number of days absent due to illness were reported during the pandemic. The nurse/patient ratio was above the recommended level at all data collection time points. Most missed nursing care was reported in items concerning basic care. The most reported reasons for missed nursing care in all samples concerned inadequate staffing, urgent situations, and a rise in patient volume. Most nurses in all samples perceived the level of patient safety and quality of care as good, and the majority had no intention to leave their current position. CONCLUSION: The pandemic had a great impact on the critical care workforce but few elements of missed nursing care were affected. To measure and use missed nursing care as a quality indicator could be valuable for nursing managers, to inform them and improve their ability to meet changes in patient needs with different workforce approaches in critical care settings.

Depression is associated with delirium after cardiac surgery-a population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: Depression is common in patients with cardiac disease, and preoperative depression is associated with worse outcomes after cardiac surgery. Depression is also correlated with postoperative delirium (POD) after major surgery. However, the association between preoperative depression and POD after cardiac surgery is sparsely studied. The aim of this study was to investigate depression as a predictor for POD in cardiac surgery patients. METHODS: This population-based cohort study included 1133 cardiac surgery patients in Stockholm 2013-2016. Depression was defined by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and POD was evaluated by assessing medical records for symptoms of POD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria. The association between depression and POD was determined through multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 162 (14%) individuals reported depressive symptoms preoperatively. The incidence of POD was 26% and highest among elderly patients. Among patients with depression, 34% developed POD. In the group of non-depressed patients, 24% developed POD. The overall adjusted odds of delirium were 2.19 times higher in individuals with depressive symptoms compared to controls (95% confidence interval 1.43-3.34). The onset of delirium was most common on Days 0-2 after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This unique population-based study in patients undergoing cardiac surgery shows that preoperative depression is associated with POD in a large proportion of treated patients. The findings support the need for improved preoperative screening for depression, especially in younger patients, and enhanced clinical surveillance in the early postoperative period for all patients.

Patient safety, quality of care and missed nursing care at a cardiology department during the COVID-19 outbreak.

AIM: To evaluate missed nursing care and patient safety during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic at in-patient cardiology wards. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design with a comparative approach. METHOD: Registered nurses and nurse assistants at a cardiology department were invited to answer the MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version, and questions on patient safety and quality of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were compared with a reference sample. RESULTS: A total of 43 registered nurses and nurse assistants in the COVID-19 sample and 59 in the reference sample participated. The COVID-19 sample reported significantly more overtime hours and more absence from work due to illness in comparison with the reference sample. The patient safety and quality of care were perceived significantly worse, 76.7% (N = 33) versus 94.7% (N = 54), and 85.7% (N = 36) versus 98.3% (N = 58, respectively. The COVID-19 sample reported more missed nursing care in wound care and in basic nursing.

Patient delay prior to care-seeking in acute myocardial infarction during the outbreak of the coronavirus SARS-CoV2 pandemic.

AIMS: To examine patient delay in seeking medical care when afflicted by an acute myocardial infarction during March-June 2020. METHODS AND RESULTS: This was a cross-sectional study in a region in Sweden during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic examining patients selected from the national registry (SWEDEHEART). Eligible patients were those with acute myocardial infarction, and a total of 602 patients were invited. A self-administered psychometric evaluated questionnaire, 'Patients' appraisal, emotions, and action tendencies preceding care-seeking in acute myocardial infarction' (AMI), was sent to the patients, and questions regarding COVID-19 were added. A total of 326 patients answered the questionnaire. Of these, 19% hesitated to seek medical care because of the pandemic, which was related to a fear that the healthcare services were already overcrowded with patients with COVID-19, followed by a fear of becoming infected with COVID-19 in hospital. Characteristics of this cohort were significantly higher prevalences of women, immigrants, smokers, and patients with type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: During the outbreak and first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, women and immigrants delayed seeking medical care for AMI because of fears about overcrowded hospitals and about becoming infected themselves. Therefore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is especially important to convey information about how and when to seek medical care. A collaboration involving the healthcare professionals, patient organizations, and the media would be desirable.

Missed nursing care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative observational study.

AIM: To evaluate frequencies, types of and reasons for missed nursing care during the COVID-19 pandemic at inpatient wards in a highly specialized university hospital. BACKGROUND: Registered nurse/patient ratio and nursing competence are known to affect patient outcomes. The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic entailed novel ways for staffing to meet the expected increased acute care demand, which potentially could impact on quality of care. METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted, using the MISSCARE Survey. A sample of nursing staff during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 130) was compared with a reference sample (n = 157). RESULTS: Few differences between samples concerning elements of missed care and no significant differences concerning reasons for missed care were found. Most participants perceived the quality of care and the patient safety to be good. CONCLUSION: The results may be explained by three factors: maintained registered nurse/patient ratio, patients' dependency levels and that nursing managers could maintain the staffing needs with a sufficient skill mix. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Nursing managers impact on the occurrence of MNC; to provide a sufficient registered nurse/patient ratio and skill mix when staffing. They play an important role in anticipatory planning and during infectious disease outbreaks.

Depression as a predictor of postoperative delirium after cardiac surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Depression is common in patients with cardiac disease. The importance of preoperative depression for development of postoperative delirium (POD) following cardiac surgery is not well known. The aim is to provide a summary estimate of depression as a predictor of POD following cardiac surgery. METHODS: Systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science Core Collection and Psycinfo (Ovid) was performed from inception to October 2019, including cohort studies reporting odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for POD following cardiac surgery in patients with preoperative depression compared to patients without depression. ORs and 95% CIs for POD were calculated using random-effects meta-analyses. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS: Seven studies were included with a combined study population of 2066 patients. The pooled prevalence of POD in the combined study population was 26% and preoperative depression was present in ∼9% of the total study population. All studies showed a positive association between preoperative depression and POD; and in 5 studies, the association was statistically significant. Patients with depression had a pooled OR of 2.31 (95% CI 1.37-3.90) for POD. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review and meta-analysis confirm the findings that the previous association between preoperative depression and increased risk for developing POD reported for other patient groups is found also in cardiac surgery. Depression screening prior to cardiac surgery may be effective in identifying patients at higher risk for POD.

Patients' experiences when afflicted by takotsubo syndrome - is it time for guidelines?

BACKGROUND: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute and reversible type of heart failure that shares common features with acute coronary syndrome. It is usually caused by psychological or physical stress, but for a third, triggers cannot be identified. Patients also suffer from residual symptoms and decreased mental health in the recovery phase and may struggle to comprehend and manage everyday living. AIM: To describe patients' experiences when afflicted by takotsubo syndrome, after discharge from hospital. METHOD: An inductive explorative design using a qualitative approach with semi-structured individual interviews. The text was analysed using qualitative content analysis according to Graneheim and Lundman. RESULT: Ten women and one man afflicted by TTS were interviewed two to twelve months after discharge. Six sub-categories were identified, and a main category emerged: The process from symptom onset and understanding to increased awareness and changes in life. The patients suffered from emotional reactions and they sought answers and understanding about the underlying causes. The disease led to changes in patients' daily lives as they were affected physically and psychologically. Spouses and/or bystanders had a positive supporting role, but the patients desired more support from the healthcare professionals such as an earlier appointment for follow-up with a nurse. CONCLUSION: Being afflicted by TTS can lead to changes in life conditions but these changes vary among patients. Becoming ill was associated to acute physical stress and prolonged psychological stress and they suffered from emotional reactions. The follow-up care needs to improve as the patients need more guidance from healthcare professionals and earlier appointment for follow-up with a nurse. A structured and multiprofessional treatment with a person-centred approach could support patients in their recovery.

Translation, culture adaption and psychometric testing of the MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version.

AIM: To translate the MISSCARE Survey into Swedish and establish its validity and reliability by evaluating its psychometric properties. BACKGROUND: Missed nursing care is defined as any aspect of required nursing care that is omitted or delayed. The consequence of missed nursing care is a threat to patient safety. The MISSCARE Survey is an American instrument measuring missed nursing care activities (part A) and its reasons (part B). METHODS: The translation was accomplished according to World Health Organization guidelines, focusing on a culture adaptation. Acceptability, construct validity, test-retest reliability and internal consistency were analysed. The Revised Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE 2.0) was used as reporting checklist. RESULTS: The translation and culture adaptation needed several revisions. A total of 126 nurses answered the test and retest which showed acceptability of missing data. The factor analysis revealed a lack of fit to data for the original factorial structure in part B, while further analysis provided results suggesting a modification based on omitting six items. The internal consistency for part B and its subscales showed good results. CONCLUSIONS: The MISSCARE Survey-Swedish version is a reliable and valid instrument, with good psychometric properties. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: More reliable language versions of the instrument enable national and international comparisons that could be valuable for nursing managers and/or directors of nursing who are responsible for quality of care and patient safety in the strategic care planning process.

Inability to act was associated with an extended delay prior to care-seeking, in patients with an acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: The out-of-hospital mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction remains unchanged in contrast to a decrease in inhospital mortality. Interventions aiming to shorten patient delay have been largely unsuccessful. A deeper understanding is apparently needed on patients' appraisal prior to care-seeking. AIM: To investigate whether appraisal processes influence patient delay, and if the questionnaire 'Patients' appraisal, emotions and action tendencies preceding care seeking in acute myocardial infarction' (PA-AMI) could discriminate between patients with prolonged care-seeking and those with a short delay. METHODS: A cross-sectional study including 326 acute myocardial infarction patients filling out the validated questionnaire PA-AMI. The impact of subscales on delay was analysed by projection to latent structures regression. Discrimination opportunities between patients with short and long delays were analysed by projection to latent structures discriminant analysis. RESULTS: The subscales 'perceived inability to act' and 'symptom appraisal' had a major impact on patient delay (P<0.0001). 'Perceived inability to act' had its main influence in patients with a delay exceeding 12 hours, and 'symptom appraisal' had its main influence in patients with a delay shorter than one hour. CONCLUSION: Appraisal processes influence patient delay. Acute myocardial infarction patients with a prolonged delay were, besides a low perceived symptom severity and urgency to seek medical care, characterised by a perceived loss of control and ability to act. Therefore, future interventions aimed at decreasing delay should pay attention to appraisal processes, and perceived inability to act may be a sign of a health threat and therefore a signal to seek medical care.

Emotions delay care-seeking in patients with an acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: In acute myocardial infarction the risk of death and loss of myocardial tissue is at its highest during the first few hours. However, the process from symptom onset to the decision to seek medical care can take time. To comprehend patients' pre-hospital delay, attention must be focused on the circumstances preceding the decision to seek medical care. AIM: To add a deeper understanding of patients' thoughts, feelings and actions that preceded the decision to seek medical care when afflicted by an acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: Fourteen men and women with a first or second acute myocardial infarction were interviewed individually in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed by qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Four themes were conceptualized: 'being incapacitated by fear, anguish and powerlessness', 'being ashamed of oneself', 'fear of losing a healthy identity' and 'striving to avoid fear by not interacting with others'. Patients were torn between feelings such as anguish, fear, shame and powerlessness. They made an effort to uphold their self-image as being a healthy person thus affected by an unrecognized discomfort. This combined with a struggle to protect others from involvement, strengthened the barriers to seeking care. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that emotional reactions are important and influence patients' pre-hospital behaviour. Being ashamed of oneself stood out as a novel finding. Emotions might be an important explanation of undesired and persisting patient delays. However, our findings have to and should be evaluated quantitatively. Such a study is in progress.

The turning point: from self-regulative illness behaviour to care-seeking in patients with an acute myocardial infarction.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe the care-seeking process from interpretation of an initial symptom to the decision to seek medical care in patients with an acute myocardial infarction. BACKGROUND: Patients afflicted by symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction delay in seeking care far exceeding the desired time limits. This results in avoidable loss of life. There is thus a need to understand these patients' initial discomfort, appraisal and behaviour to design interventions that could reduce delay in care-seeking. DESIGN: Focus group discussions with patients who had had a recent acute myocardial infarction. METHODS: The analysis of the transcribed text was inspired by the self-regulatory model of illness behaviour. RESULTS: Patients with acute myocardial infarction describe problems to identify the exact time of onset of often vague symptoms. Their experiences of symptoms did not match their expectations. These patients exhibit self-regulatory illness behaviour that seems to cause a considerable delay in care-seeking. CONCLUSIONS: We found indications of a pertinent shift in appraisal and coping-strategy when a patient changes from self-regulative illness behaviour to seeking care - the turning point. This shift seems to be affected by several partly contradictory influences and it takes a considerable time for a person to reach this stage. All aspects of the patients' self-regulative illness behaviour have to be considered if we want patients to seek medical care more rapidly. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Our findings are important to consider in future design of public health and rehabilitation strategies to save patient lives. To identify the turning point is a profitable way to deepen the understanding of patient behaviour during the initial phase of an acute myocardial infarction.