Evaluation of needs and preferences that arise during the course of the medical history of people with people living with chronic heart failure in Austria: A qualitative analysis based on semi-structured interviews. (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND In the industrialized world, between one and two per cent of adults worldwide are affected by Chronic Heart Failure (CHI) - i.e. in Austria, between 70,000 and 140,000 affected people can be assumed. OBJECTIVE The project aimed to identify the subjective needs and preferences of people affected by CHI in relation to interventions to empower them in different stages of the disease. METHODS Semi-structured interviews in different settings (clinical care, outpatient care, rehabilitation clinic, primary care, home care) were conducted with twelve (58% women) individuals. The focus was on other interventions for managing the condition, their content, and modalities regarding the various stages of the disease. RESULTS During the evaluation, a psychological process for internalising the diagnosis became visible. During the first year, the patients tried to generate knowledge about the disease and seek support. After this phase, people living with CHI got used to the condition and learned to deal with it. CHI was no longer perceived as an immediate threat and receded into the background of everyday life. In the beginning, the most important thing for them was theoretical information about heart failure (e.g. how the heart works, causes, complaints and symptoms of CHI) and how to deal with medication. In further progress, pragmatic questions about health-oriented behaviour in everyday life came to the fore. CONCLUSIONS To meet the needs of the people concerned educational measures such as education programmes, brochures and experiences of people with CHI were recommended at the beginning; afterwards, a telerehabilitation and thematically appropriate group courses (e.g. exercise classes, self-help groups, etc.), as well as a “lifestyle” patient app, can be considered for empowerment.