Life situations, health beliefs, and medical regimen adherence of patients with myocardial infarction.
One hundred twelve patients with MI were followed over a 6- to 9-month period to investigate their intentions and adherence behavior to a prescribed medical regimen in four life situations. The subjects with MI had strong intentions in the hospital to follow their prescription in all four situations, with the strongest for the home situation and the weakest for work. However, the actual adherence behaviors were less than the original intentions. The findings indicate the need for a review of the content of rehabilitation programs and consideration of the stage of recovery at which instructions are presented to patients rehabilitating from a MI. The intentions and adherence behaviors of subjects with MI were closely related to their perceptions of significant others' expectations. For the health team, this emphasizes the need to include significant others in patient rehabilitation.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010465:Perception