title: Correlation Between the Type of Acute Coronary Syndrome With the Needs of Hospitalized Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS) comprise life-threatening health problems that demand emergency care and immediate intervention. As patients are abruptly transitioning from healthy state into suffering, they consequently experience several needs, mainly attributed to the type of the syndrome including the therapeutic regimen.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To access the correlation between the type of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with the needs of hospitalized patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 454 hospitalized patients with ACS, recruited from 4 hospitals in Greece, was enrolled in the study. Data were collected by the completion of questionnaire which apart from socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, it also included the questionnaire "Needs of hospitalized patients with coronary artery disease" which is consisted 6 subscales: a) need for support and guidance, b) need for information from the medical-nursing staff, c) need for being in contact with other patient groups and ensuring communication with relatives, d) need for individualized treatment and for the patient's personal participation to his/her treatment e) need to meet the emotional and physical needs f) need to trust the medical-nursing staff. Statistical methods used were Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, chi2 test of independence, Kruskal wallis-test and multiple regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The type of ACS was statistically significant correlated with the place of residence (p=0.002), management of disease (p<0.001) and prior experience of hospitalization (p=0.003). All six needs were statistically significantly correlated with the type of ACS, (p<0.001 for the need for support and guidance, p<0.001 for the need to be informed from the medical and nursing staff, p<0.001 for the need for being in contact with other patient groups, and ensuring communication with relatives, p<0.001 for the need for individualized treatment and for the patient's personal participation to his/her treatment, p<0.001 for the need to meet the emotional needs and physical needs and p=0.010 for the need to trust the medical and nursing staff). More specifically, patients with angina considered all six needs to be less significant than patients with unstable angina and myocardial infarction. These results were confirmed by the multiple linear regression after controlling for potential confounders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Needs of hospitalized patients should be assessed in daily clinical practice according to the type of the syndrome.
authors.affiliation: . mpolik2006@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Polikandrioti
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goudevenos
authors.forename: Lampros K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Michalis
authors.forename: Koutelekos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ioannis
authors.forename: Georgiadi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Elpida
authors.forename: Karakostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kostas
authors.forename: Moses
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elisaf
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D000368:Aged; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires