A qualitative study exploring patients’ experiences of standard care or cardiac rehabilitation post minor stroke and transient ischaemic attack

OBJECTIVE: To explore individuals' experiences of receiving either standard care or comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation post minor stroke or transient ischaemic attack. DESIGN: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, alongside a randomized controlled trial, exploring the effectiveness of comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation compared with standard care. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis. SETTING: Individuals' homes. SUBJECTS: People who have experienced a minor stroke or transient ischaemic attack and who were partaking in a secondary prevention randomized controlled trial (6-7 months post the event, 17 males, five females; mean age 67 years). INTERVENTIONS: Not relevant. MAIN MEASURES: Not relevant. RESULTS: Four themes were identified: information delivery, comparing oneself with others, psychological impact, attitudes and actions regarding risk factor reduction. Participants indicated a need for improved information delivery, specific to their own risk factors and lifestyle changes. Many experienced psychological impact as a result of their minor stroke. Participants were found to make two types of social comparison; the comparison of self to another affected by stroke, and the comparison of self to cardiac patients. CONCLUSION: Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation was reported to have positive effects on people's motivation to exercise. Following a minor stroke, many individuals do not recall information given or risk factors specific to them. Downward comparison with individuals who have had a cardiovascular event led to some underplaying the significance of their minor stroke.