The nurse's role in helping patients understand the nature and treatment of myocardial infarction

Abstract

The study was carried out among nurses currently working on a full time basis at the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) in the local state general hospital. A questionnaire was personally distributed by the researcher to all participants. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions which sought to investigate the nurses' roles in helping patients understand the nature and treatment of myocardial infarction and their current practices in this area of care. The study was a qualitative one. A pilot study was undertaken to test the tool for feasibility. However, the tool was not tested for validity and reliability. The whole population of nurses at the CCU numbered 15. The participant population consisted of 13 nurses; 10 of whom were female state registered nurses while the other 3 were male state enrolled nurses. Hence, the study achieved a response rate of 86.6%. Data gathered was not anaiyzed for gender differences because the study' s aim was to investigate the current practices of the whole nursing population working at the Coronary Care Unit. Findings suggest that nurses are offering information to their patients about nature of illness, medications, risk factors of the disease and lifestyle modifications required to ensure a healthier life. Results could not indicate the effectiveness of the information that nurses give in motivating patients to modify their lifestyle. Limitations were outlined and recommendations for further research were given.