Patients’ experiences 1–6 months after atrial fibrillation ablation: An holistic perspective

Abstract

Patients' post CA experiences could be understood in terms of a holistic model. Their feelings of uncertainty caused by a lack of medical follow-up led to emotional reactions, the magnitude of which depended on feeling-well or worse. Patients' need more information about possible complications, suggesting follow-up and patient education needs improvement.

Patients' experiences across the trajectory of atrial fibrillation: A qualitative systematic review

“…With disease progression, patients' health states show degeneration, and they are no longer able to perform activities such as walking, cooking, shopping and housework. Some patients even lose their self‐care abilities 14,16–20 I love shopping, hanging around in shopping malls or markets, or spending money, but I cannot go to these places myself 17 …”

“…Negative emotions were experienced by patients; this encouraged the patients to make effective use of internal and external resources to avoid symptoms and gain peace of mind. Nevertheless, when unpredictable symptoms occurred, patients were observed to engage in ruminative thinking, to the detriment of their peace of mind 11,12,14–19,21 I've had episodes lasting for hours.…”

“…Don't know… you can't do anything; you feel helpless. You sit and wait, ‘am I dying now?’ So, it's almost torture—a torture chamber 18 …”

“…The inability to engage in hobbies forced some patients to choose other options of entertainment or to forego entertaining activities completely, causing their social circles to shrink further. In addition, the high costs associated with treating this disorder aggravated the medical financial burden of households 11,13,14,17,18 …”

“…Misunderstandings regarding the disease can result in alienation and social isolation. Excessive care from caregivers further aggravates patients' feelings of guilt and negative thoughts 11,13,14,17–19 The biggest burden is losing your job and not knowing [what to do next].…”