The psychological experience of patients with kinesiophobia after cardiac surgery-a qualitative study

Background: The rehabilitation process of postoperative cardiac surgery patients integrates both long-term recovery from heart disease and short-term postsurgical rehabilitation, and patients may have fears about exercising that affect recovery from the disease and the surgical trauma. At present, few studies have focused on the real experience of patients with kinesiophobia after cardiac surgery. Objectives: To explore the real psychological experiences of patients with kinesiophobia after cardiac surgery and to understand kinesiophobia from the patient's perspective. Methods: This study used a phenomenological approach to recruit 21 participants. The data were gathered through semistructured in-depth face-to-face interviews. Data were analyzed according to the Colaizzi phenomenology method. Results: Six themes were summarized: Barriers to nurse-patient communication; Psychological mapping caused by the external environment; Week support system ; Intrusive thinking; Postoperative adverse reaction; Health behavior dynamics: real practice behavior of early activities. Conclusions: Kinesiophobia in postoperative cardiac surgery patients is a change in psychological state resulting from three stimuli: external environment (medical staff, wardmates, and family), physiological (postoperative somatic sensation), and psychological, and all three influence and interact with each other. Coping with kinesiophobia in patients after cardiac surgery is a dynamic process that requires internal and external support.