Key result
Experiencing first acute coronary syndrome significantly impacts women's lives, leading to physical limitations, fear, social isolation, and higher mortality and readmission rates compared with men.
Why the study?
Research has largely focused on men's experience of ACS, leaving women's lived experiences and recovery process following a first acute coronary syndrome poorly understood.
This integrative review highlights the significant physical, psychosocial, and sexual challenges women face after a first acute coronary syndrome, emphasizing the need for tailored care and further research to improve their recovery and quality of life.
Supports tailored post-ACS care addressing women's physical and psychosocial needs; confirms outcome disparities versus men and extends calls for targeted research.
AIM: There is lack of evidence and research understanding among women's lived experiences following first acute coronary syndrome, thus their recovery process remains poorly understood. To date research has largely focused on men's experience of acute coronary syndrome while this area of health care and recovery has considerable impact on women's health and quality of life. Our aim was to review the literature exploring lived experience of women following first acute coronary syndrome. DESIGN: Integrative review of the literature. DATA SOURCE: We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Scopus from 2008-2018 for articles published in English. REVIEW METHOD: Of 1675 publications identified, 18 qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method studies met our inclusion criteria. Quality of included studies was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute quality assessment tools. Findings were integrated using thematic synthesis. RESULTS: Experiencing acute coronary syndrome was reported to have significant impacts on women's lives. The most common issues reported were physical limitations, fear, and uncertainties about the future, sexual dissatisfaction, and social isolation. Women also reported to have higher short- and long-term mortality rate, stroke, recurrent, and hospital readmissions compared with men. CONCLUSION: This review identified current knowledge and gaps about lived experience of women following first acute coronary syndrome. It is anticipated that the information gained from this literature review will support new research aimed at improving the care women receive following acute coronary syndrome and therefore enhance their recovery and quality of life. IMPACT: This review contributes to the current body of knowledge by addressing women's physical, psychosocial, and sexual state following acute coronary syndrome. Improvement in women's quality of life after acute coronary syndrome necessitates further research which ultimately results in better management and treatment of women and their recovery following first acute coronary syndrome.
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Alyasin et al. (2021) conducted a review in First acute coronary syndrome (n=18). First acute coronary syndrome vs. Men was evaluated on Lived experiences and clinical outcomes (physical limitations, fear, sexual dissatisfaction, social isolation, mortality, stroke, readmissions). Experiencing first acute coronary syndrome significantly impacts women's lives, leading to physical limitations, fear, social isolation, and higher mortality and readmission rates compared with men.
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