Psychosocial Concerns and Interventions for Patients and Their Identified Support Givers to Help Cope With Acute Manifestations of Advanced Coronary Artery Diseases

Advanced coronary artery disease is a chronic condition and often has acute exacerbations requiring multiple hospitalizations. Such hospitalizations profoundly affect the patients and their families, caregivers, and friends. Therefore, this article focuses on the most common psychosocial concerns experienced during acute episodes and has implications for patients and their families along the continuum from the acute to the chronic phases. In each of the sections of this article, we will include (1) identification of these common psychosocial concerns, (2) assessment, and (3) psychosocial interventions used to address these concerns in patients during the acute phase and as patients and their families transition to the chronic phase of cardiovascular disease management.