Lived experience of women with Ischemic heart diseases

Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) is one of the leading causes of death and disability among young and older women, respectively. Researches in this area mostly focused on manifestations, risk factors, and treatment of the patients with IHD. So, there is a lack of information on the aspects of affects and feelings of such patients. This study aimed to describe lived experience of women with IHD, to provide a suitable guide for nursing practice. This is a descriptive phenomenological study. Participants were eight women with IHD who were hospitalized in CCUs and ambulatory cardiac care centers of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran. They voluntarily responded to open-ended questions of semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s method to extract meanings and concepts. Findings were 14 subthemes leading to 5 main concepts of ‘Pain and Relief’ ‘Resistance’ ‘Introversion’ ‘Loss of Control’ and ‘Mutual Communication’ that emerged from participants` narratives. Ischemic heart event is an experience with multidimensional impact on various aspects of the patients’ lives. This study demonstrates this experience as having five fundamental elements. Women with IHD express their suffering from frequent cycles of pain that drives their feelings and thoughts toward themselves and provokes their sense of resistance. They also faced loss of control on various aspects of their lives and changes in their relationships with others, too. This image helps nurses to design their care plan based on a better understanding of these patients.