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. 2023 Mar;10(3):1821-1829.
doi: 10.1002/nop2.1442. Epub 2022 Oct 30.

Experiences of living with symptomatic atrial fibrillation

Lena Holmlund  1 , Karin Hellström Ängerud  1 , Åsa Hörnsten  1 , Fredrik Valham  2 , Karin Olsson  2
Affiliations

Experiences of living with symptomatic atrial fibrillation

Lena Holmlund et al. Nurs Open. 2023 Mar.

Abstract

Aim: To explore the experiences of living with symptomatic atrial fibrillation.

Design: This study, with a descriptive qualitative design, was performed using semi-structured individual interviews.

Method: Six women and nine men with symptomatic atrial fibrillation were included. The transcribed interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The COREQ checklist was followed.

Results: The analysis resulted in a main theme, namely balancing life and included the themes striving for illness control, becoming a receiver or an active partner in care and dealing with changed self-image. The participants strived to understand their illness, prevent attacks and manage anxiety. Some of the participants were not involved in decision-making, were uninformed about self-care measures, reported a lack of continuity in care and felt that the doctors focused on information about the medical part of care.

Keywords: atrial fibrillation; experiences; interviews; qualitative research.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

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