Qualitative analysis of the male experience of heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to gain insight from the patient's perspective into how it is to live with moderate chronic heart failure (HF).


METHODS
Twenty men with moderate chronic HF in New York Heart Association classes II to III, aged 43 to 73 years, were interviewed with open-ended questions. The interviews were analyzed using qualitative inductive content analysis as a method.


RESULTS
Both the consequences of the illness and how the patients adjusted to them were described in the narratives. The consequences were physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and vocational and included thoughts about death. Adjusting to the illness involved changing one's lifestyle, being aware of one's physical ability and disability, developing psychologic strategies, and adjusting to medication.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this study demonstrate a wider range of disabilities as a consequence of moderate chronic HF and show several more ways of adjusting to the illness than previously reported in men.
Europe
Eeva
E
Department of Physical Therapy, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stoockholm, Sweden.
Tyni-Lenné
Raija
R
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001364:Awareness; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004644:Emotions; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires