Key result
Fourteen women experiencing Takotsubo cardiomyopathy described a continuous process of making sense and adapting, highlighting a need for education, counselling, and holistic care.
Women experiencing Takotsubo cardiomyopathy struggle with making sense of their illness and require holistic, individualized health care with longer follow-up for education and counselling.
May support tailored education and counselling after Takotsubo; hypothesis-generating and leaves open need for prospective trials.
BACKGROUND: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is a reversible condition mimicking acute myocardial infarction. The phenomenon is associated with emotional and physical stressful trigger events. Evidence-based patient counselling should be based on disease-specific knowledge of patient experiences. AIM: The aim of the study was to describe women's experiences of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in a short-term perspective. DESIGN: The study design was explorative and descriptive. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 women diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, 1 day to 9 months after hospitalisation. The transcriptions underwent qualitative content analysis. FINDINGS: The main theme that emerged was Takotsubo cardiomyopathy as a continuous process of making sense and adapting. To begin with, understanding and coping with signs and symptoms were described as having a diversity of signs and symptoms, taking actions towards signs and symptoms, receiving treatment for suspected ST/non ST-elevation myocardial infarction diagnosis and finally being diagnosed with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Understanding the context of illness was expressed as getting treated for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy diagnosis and having previous stressful conditions of life. The changing perspective that emanated was a combination of having prospects and expectations and experiencing limitations. Finally, managing to live with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was manifested as returning home with the illness and receiving follow-up health care. CONCLUSION: Information on regaining prior health status and capacity within a short-term perspective may not be accurate. These women struggle and require education and counselling from healthcare professionals to comprehend and manage having a Takotsubo cardiomyopathy diagnosis. Women experiencing Takotsubo cardiomyopathy may be a target group for holistic and individual health care with a longer duration of follow-up.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Dahlviken et al. (2014) studied Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (n=14). Takotsubo cardiomyopathy was evaluated on Women's experiences of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Fourteen women experiencing Takotsubo cardiomyopathy described a continuous process of making sense and adapting, highlighting a need for education, counselling, and holistic care.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: