Key result
Women report greater post-discharge cardiac recovery challenges than men in returning to work and physical activity.
Why the study?
People recovering from myocardial infarction describe changes needed during recovery, with gender differences in experiences not well explored.
Following acute myocardial infarction, recovery experiences are shaped by gendered social roles, with women experiencing greater vulnerability and difficulty in maintaining physical activity and returning to work, suggesting a need for gender-responsive, individualized cardiac follow-up.
May inform gender-responsive post-MI follow-up; hypothesis-generating for targeted recovery interventions in women.
AIM: To explore, including from a gender perspective, how people who have suffered a myocardial infarction describe the changes they need to adopt during the recovery phase following hospital discharge. DESIGN: Qualitative interpretive phenomenological study. METHOD: Purposive theoretical sampling strategy with maximum variation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with subsequent thematic analysis of semantic content, with deductive coding based on relevant aspects identified in the scientific literature and inductive coding on emerging codes in interviewees' discourse. DATA SOURCES: The interviews were conducted between March 2022 and December 2023. RESULTS: The participants had an average age of 61 years. A total of nine participants were interviewed. Four of these were women. No one identified as non-binary. Three themes were identified: initiation of one's own resources, engagement with one's own emotions, and follow-up by the health team. CONCLUSION: In this sample, both men and women initially described motivation to assume responsibility for their self-care and lifestyle changes. Women reported greater difficulties in returning to work and maintaining physical activity, which may contribute to increased vulnerability during recovery. These findings may help inform nurse-led cardiac rehabilitation programmes that respond to patients' real needs.
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Ruíz et al. (2026) studied Myocardial infarction (n=9). Post-infarction recovery was evaluated on Lived experiences and perceived changes needed during the recovery phase following hospital discharge. Women reported greater difficulties than men in returning to work and maintaining physical activity during cardiac recovery, often due to fatigue, comorbidities, and gendered social roles.
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