title: Effect of incongruence of acute myocardial infarction symptoms on the decision to seek treatment in a rural population.
abstract: People are advised to obtain immediate treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), yet a delay occurs between the onset of symptoms and the decision to seek treatment. The objective of the study was to determine the extent of incongruence between expected and actual symptoms of AMI, effect of incongruence on decision time to seek treatment, and predictive effect of selected variables on decision time in a rural population. Ninety-eight rural patients receiving inpatient treatment for AMI at 2 hospitals in the Northeast of the United States from August 2001 through October 2002 completed the Morgan Incongruency of Heart Attack Symptoms Index and the Response to Symptoms Questionnaire. The median decision time was 93 minutes. There were differences between men and women regarding the symptoms that were expected to occur and that actually occurred. The extent to which symptoms interfered with the ability to carry out normal activities, degree of anxiety, and type of insurance coverage explained 23% of the variance in decision time. Although the expected symptoms did not match the actual symptoms, this incongruence did not affect decision time.
authors.affiliation: Decker School of Nursing, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA. donnammorgan@direcway.com
authors.forename: Donna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Morgan
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D015205:Northwestern United States; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors