A qualitative examination of the factors that influence women's quality of life as they live with coronary artery disease.
The purpose of this study is understanding women's experiences regarding health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the context of living with coronary artery disease (CAD). Sampling was purposive and continued until data saturation. The women participated in semistructured interviews that were tape-recorded and completed in less than 1 hour. Conventional content analysis was used to analyze the data. Results indicate that CAD influenced the participants' HRQOL. This occurred through categories the investigators labeled "dealing with one more thing," "surrendering roles and pleasures," "managing the health system," "understanding CAD," and "resolving to be strong." The thoughtful responses of the women in this study suggest that understanding the HRQOL of women who have CAD lies in the context of considering their quality and quantity of social support. Thus, it behooves health care providers to assess patients' levels of social support and intervene as appropriate.
Norris
Colleen M
CM
University of Alberta, Canada. colleen.norris@ualberta.ca
King
Kathryn
K
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000416:Alberta; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*