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. 2021 Jul;36(4):1260-1275.
doi: 10.1002/hpm.3172. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

'There is always a way to living with illness'-Self-management strategies reported by Chinese hospitalized patients with cardiovascular disease: A descriptive qualitative study

Ruolin Qiu  1 , Kara Schick-Makaroff  2 , Leiwen Tang  1 , Xiyi Wang  3 , Qi Zhang  1 , Zhihong Ye  1
Affiliations

'There is always a way to living with illness'-Self-management strategies reported by Chinese hospitalized patients with cardiovascular disease: A descriptive qualitative study

Ruolin Qiu et al. Int J Health Plann Manage. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

Objectives: Patients living with cardiovascular diseases use different strategies to solve various problems. This study aimed to identify the category, type and specific self-management strategies reported by hospitalized patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Methods: This is a qualitative descriptive study. Twenty-eight individuals with cardiovascular diseases from a Cardiology Department affiliated with a school in China were recruited by purposive sampling. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated and analysed by using content analysis.

Results: Five self-management strategy categories (medical and alternative therapy uptake, risk assessment and avoidance, resource seeking and utilization, maintaining normality, and optional management), and seventeen self-management strategy types, encompassing one hundred and ten specific strategies were identified. The most commonly used self-management strategy types were lifestyle adjustment (eleven strategies), self-maintenance (nine strategies) and problem-solving (nine strategies). Additionally, the most described explicit self-management strategies were receiving family/colleague support, maintaining daily routines, monitoring symptoms and managing side effects, discussing with professionals, using medicines, and improving awareness.

Conclusion: This study identified diverse strategies reported by some Chinese cardiovascular patients. It may inform the design and development of personalized self-management interventions for health practitioners and policymakers, helping cardiovascular patients in Chinese communities worldwide receive culture-tailored services.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease; qualitative research; self-management.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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