Hostility in coronary artery disease patients and health care workers in Slovakia.
OBJECTIVE
Increased levels of hostility are associated with the increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), and with poorer outcomes in CAD patients. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the level of hostility in CAD patients and in health care (HC) workers, as potential groups for intervention programmes.


METHODS
A qualitative cross-sectional study was undertaken. Hostility questionnaires were distributed in a non-randomized fashion in a group of 236 CAD patients (187 men, 49 women), aged from 33 to 69 years (average 52 years) and 181 health care workers (52 men, 129 women), aged from 19 to 65 (average 31 years). The results of the survey were discussed in a focused group.


RESULTS
The results showed that the high level of hostility in both CAD patients and HC workers exceeded the risk value of 10 in 89 per cent of CAD patients and 95 per cent of HC workers. No difference was found in the hostility scores between CAD patients and HC workers. There was a tendency to higher scores of hostility or of its subcategories (cynicism, anger, aggression) in physicians and nurses of the invasive cardiology or the intensive care units.


CONCLUSIONS
This paper is of value by showing how increased level of hostility was the issue in both patients and HC workers, with potential consequences of health risk for individuals, as well as deteriorated interpersonal relations and a conflict-generated corporate culture for organizations. Differently tailored programmes for hostility management for particular target groups may help to prevent negative developments.
Selko
Dusan
D
National Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
Bacharova
Ljuba
L
Rusnakova
Viera
V
Katina
Stanislav
S
Liska
Branislav
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002300:Cardiac Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units; D015285:Hospital-Patient Relations; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015279:Organizational Culture; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D015995:Prevalence; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D018154:Slovakia; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology