From Bodily Sensations to Symptoms: Health Care-Seeking Practices Among People Affected by Acute Coronary Syndrome

Gender disparities in the mediating role of symptom knowledge level in reducing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) decision delay: Findings from a community-based study in China

BACKGROUND

Implementing training programs to educate patients on the prodromal symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) may assist patients in accurately recognizing these symptoms, and ultimately decrease their time delay in seeking emergency medical services (EMS). However, the effectiveness of this approach remains uncertain, particularly among the Chinese population.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted within 22 communities in Beijing, China between 2015 and 2018, with a total of 1099 participants recruited. The study utilized a standardized questionnaire to evaluate the presence of intentional decision delay in turning to EMS under a hypothetical chest pain, the participants' knowledge of ACS prodromal symptoms, and whether they had ever received any training programs aimed at increasing their symptom knowledge. Mediation analysis was performed with regression models and bootstrapping methods, and gender difference was further analyzed through moderated mediation analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 1099 participants (58.2% female, median [IQR] age 34 [20]) were included in the study. The results of the mediation analysis indicated that training programs were associated with a decrease risk in decision delay, with increased knowledge playing a mediating role (mediation effect/total effect = 36.59%, P < 0.0001). Gender modified this mediation effect, with it being observed only in the male group. Specifically, training programs were not found to significantly decrease decision delay among females (P > 0.05), even though they did improve women's knowledge of ACS prodromal symptoms (β = 0.57, P = 0.012).

CONCLUSION

The results suggested a relationship between prior training programs and reduced decision delay, with increased knowledge of prodromal symptoms of ACS serving as a mediator. However, the effect was only observed in male participants and not in female participants. This highlights the notion that mere transfer of knowledge regarding ACS prodromal symptoms may not be sufficient to mitigate decision delay in the female population. Further research is needed to corroborate these results and to gain deeper insights into the gender-specific barriers encountered in this study.

Predictors of acute coronary syndrome symptom knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs in adults without self-reported heart disease

BACKGROUND

The time of symptom onset to the time an individual decides to seek care is the most significant contributor to total treatment delay.

OBJECTIVES

To explore predictors of ACS symptom knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs in adults without diagnosed heart disease.

METHODS

We used a cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design, employing an online survey including the ACS Response Index and the avoidance subscale of the Coping Strategy Indicator. We leveraged social media platforms and a university email list-serv to enroll participants. Stepwise hierarchical linear regressions were used.

RESULTS

We analyzed responses from 981 participants, with a mean age of 35.2 years (SD 16.5) and 75% female. The regression analyses yielded models that explained 14%, 23%, and 25% of the variance for knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes, respectively. Ethnicity, race, exposure to ACS symptom information (in the media or by teaching), and perceived health were the predictors of ACS symptom knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs with the largest effect, though others were statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings underscore the importance of community education to raise awareness of ACS symptoms while considering social determinants of health. Future research and clinician interventions for ACS symptom knowledge, attitudes and beliefs should be expanded with a focus on ethnicity and gender.

Women's Prodromal Myocardial Infarction Symptom Perception, Attribution, and Care Seeking: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study

BACKGROUND

Most women experience prodromal myocardial infarction (MI) symptoms, but more information is needed about the perception, attribution, and care-seeking behaviors related to these prodromal symptoms.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to describe women's perceptions, attributions, and care-seeking behaviors related to prodromal MI symptoms.

METHOD

We used a qualitative, multiple case study approach, recruiting participants during summer 2019 from a large hospital in the Midwestern United States. Data were collected from interviews with the women who experienced MI and some of their family members, journals, and electronic health records. An inductive, comparative analysis procedure was applied.

RESULTS

Ten women, ages 42 to 84, participated in the study. The women experienced a mixture of certainty and uncertainty related to their symptoms and engaged in several cognitive processes to conceptualize and act upon their symptoms. Although all the women retrospectively reported at least 4 prodromal symptoms, they lacked knowledge of prodromal MI symptoms and often responded to prodromal sensations that they experienced using emotion- and avoidance-based strategies. It was difficult for the women to establish a symptom pattern that was attributable to heart disease.

DISCUSSION

The findings of this study may be used as evidence to support interventions that would facilitate women's care seeking for and health care providers' recognition of prodromal MI symptoms. Additional research is necessary to more fully characterize the cognitive processes at play for women of many different sociocultural backgrounds who experience prodromal MI symptoms.

Delay of routine health care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of individuals’ risk assessment and decision making

Delaying routine health care has been prevalent during the COIVD-19 pandemic. Macro-level data from this period reveals that U.S. patients under-utilized routine health care services such as primary care visits, preventative tests, screenings, routine optometry care, dental appointments, and visits for chronic disease management. Yet, there is a gap in research on how and why patients understand risks associated with seeking or delaying routing health care during an infectious disease pandemic. Our research addresses this gap based on semi-structured interviews with 40 participants living in regions across the United States. By building upon Unger-Saldaña and Infante-Castañeda's model of delayed health care, we extend this model by articulating how health care delays happen during an infectious disease pandemic. Specifically, we show how perceptions of uncertainty and subjective risk assessments shape people's decisions to delay routine health care while they operate at two levels, internal and external to one's social bubble, interacting with each other.

From Suspicion to Recognition-Being a Bystander to a Relative Affected by Acute Coronary Syndrome

Within cardiac research, an overwhelming number of studies have explored factors related to pre-hospital delay. However, there is a knowledge gap in studies that explore the bystander's experiences or significance when an individual is affected by acute coronary syndrome (ACS). We conducted an interview study with 17 individuals affected by ACS and the bystander(s) involved and performed a qualitative thematic analysis. In the pre-hospital phase, the bystander moved from suspicion of illness to recognition of illness while trying to convince the individual affected by ACS (p-ACS) to respond to bodily sensations. This led to conflicts and dilemmas which affected the bystander both before and after the p-ACS was hospitalized. Bystanders may influence pre-hospital delay in both positive and negative direction depending on their own knowledge, convictions, and the nature of their interaction with the p-ACSs. The bystander's influence during the pre-hospital delay is more extensive than previously recognized.

Perceived personal risk and vulnerability in recognizing and responding to symptoms of acute coronary syndrome: an integrative review

BACKGROUND

Simply knowing the common symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is not sufficient to ensure prompt care-seeking when these symptoms occur. Factors other than symptom knowledge contribute to prompt care-seeking behaviours and correct symptom attribution to the heart.

OBJECTIVES

To explore how perceived personal risk and perceived personal vulnerability towards ACS affect a person's ACS symptom recognition and attribution and also how this perception affects a person's response to ACS symptoms.

DESIGN

An integrative review, using Whittemore and Knafl's approach.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Complete, APA PsycINFO, and APA PsycARTICLES.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR STUDY SELECTION

We included studies that (i) were original human-subjects research or secondary analyses of human-subjects research, (ii) provided information about how perceptions of risk or perceptions of vulnerability towards ACS or heart disease affect symptom recognition, attribution, and/or response to symptoms, and (iii) were published in English.

RESULTS

Thirteen articles were included. Studies were conducted in nine different countries and were descriptive or exploratory in nature. The existing evidence suggests that perceived personal risk or vulnerability towards heart disease may promote earlier care-seeking for ACS symptoms and facilitates attribution of symptoms to the heart.

CONCLUSION

The designs of the included studies limit causal attribution, and additional prospective and intervention-based research is needed to determine how perceived risk/vulnerability may affect care-seeking and ACS symptom attribution. Increasing perceptions of vulnerability towards heart disease may reduce care seeking delay.