Extract

Having a heart condition can pose major challenges to a person’s life, due to strict medication regimens, treatments, lifestyle changes and often the uncontrollable or life-threatening nature of the condition.1 Hence, patients with heart conditions may have trouble in dealing with their disease and incorporating it in their lives.

There is a vast body of literature on how people deal with their disease or illness. A critical element in this matter is how people look at and experience their illness. To date, most studies in this context have focused on investigating illness perceptions. This relatively well-investigated concept pertains to the way patients perceive and think about their disease.2 Articles that have been published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing have indicated that illness perceptions are associated with: quality of life,3 performance of self-care,4 adherence,5 treatment-seeking behaviour,6 general healthcare use7 and attendance at cardiac rehabilitation programmes.8 Therefore, illness perceptions ought to be taken into account by nurses and allied healthcare professionals in the care of patients with acute and chronic cardiovascular conditions.

You do not currently have access to this article.

Comments

0 Comments
Submit a comment
You have entered an invalid code
Thank you for submitting a comment on this article. Your comment will be reviewed and published at the journal's discretion. Please check for further notifications by email.