Awareness of Physical Change in Their Daily Lives among Elderly Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify awareness of physical change in their daily lives among elderly patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). The subjects were 11 elderly patients diagnosed with CHF and who are receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and then analyzed through qualitative descriptive analysis. As a result of the analysis, the following seven categories were identified with regard to how elderly CHF patients become aware of changes in their physical symptoms: [sudden or gradual occurrence of changes], [a sense of losing control over their body], [bearable or manageable pain], [harmony with their current state], [foreknowledge from critical conditions experienced in the past], [peculiar physical sensations], and [becoming aware through objective observation and information]. This study found that patients groped for words and used peculiar expressions to tell other of the physical changes that they experienced. It was also found that there was a possibility of a delay in treatment due to patients' self-judgment that the pain was bearable and manageable. In order for nurses to understand the changes that patients feel in their bodies, it is effective to create a place where patients can express themselves freely, and to listen to patients' thoughts and feelings, based on a thorough understanding of their desired state of health, inconveniences experienced in daily life, and critical conditions experienced in the past.