title: Supportive care needs in patients with cardiovascular disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Unmet medical needs are a focus in cardiovascular disorder (CVD) research. However, few studies have investigated patients' perceived needs. The present study examined supportive care needs in patients with CVD and their relation to health characteristics.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total 260 in-patients with CVD were consecutively assessed with the supportive care needs survey. Primarily, frequency and content of unmet needs were examined. Secondarily, CVD-diagnoses were compared and correlations with risk factors, treatment characteristics, mood-state and quality of life were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Supportive care needs were indicated by 21% of all patients: unmet health information (37%) and psychological (23%) needs were most frequent. The number of unmet needs did not differ between most CVD-diagnoses. Unmet needs were not related to cardiac risk factors. However, treatment characteristics (r=.17-.23, p<.01), anxiety (r=.44-.71, p<.01), depression (r=.38-.63, p<.01), physical (r=.21-.47, p<.01) and mental (r=.29-.65, p<.01) quality of life were associated with unmet needs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Supportive care needs are common in patients with CVD. They are based on patients' treatment characteristics, emotions and subjective well-being rather than on cardiac factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Needs assessments in patients with CVD could detect unmet needs, enhance patient education and communication and, therefore, effectively target patients' perceived needs and medical needs.
authors: Department of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. s.kohlmann@uke.de
authors: Sebastian
authors: S
authors: Kohlmann
authors: Mara S
authors: MS
authors: Kilbert
authors: Kristin
authors: K
authors: Ziegler
authors: Karl-Heinz
authors: KH
authors: Schulz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D055815:Young Adult