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Somatic awareness, uncertainty, and delay in care‐seeking in acute heart failure
Author(s) -
Jurgens Corrine Y.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.20118
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , medicine , heart failure , cognition , somatic cell , clinical psychology , psychiatry , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
Symptom monitoring is difficult for heart failure (HF) patients. Difficulties physically sensing and determining symptom meaning may lead to uncertainty and delay treatment. Somatic awareness may provide insight into symptom monitoring ability. A model combining physical and cognitive aspects of the symptom experience was developed to examine factors affecting care‐seeking among HF patients. Adults hospitalized with acute HF were interviewed and completed questionnaires measuring somatic awareness and uncertainty. HF symptom duration prior to admission measured delay. HF specific somatic awareness and symptom pattern predicted delay. Uncertainty correlated with somatic awareness, but did not predict delay. Few responded to early HF symptoms delaying until acutely ill. Development of interventions to improve symptom monitoring is needed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 29:74–86, 2006