The support given to spouses of patients who suffered a myocardial infarction

Abstract

The research question of the study is to find out how and what type of support is given to patients' spouses after Myocardial Infarction (MI), during hospitalization, among Gozitan spouses. The aim of this study is to investigate whether spouses receive any support and from whom they receive it while their husband/wife is hospitalized for MI. Furthermore, the study aims at determining what spouses understand by support and explores the expectations of spouses regarding support needed. A convenience sample of ten spouses whose husband/wife was hospitalized for MI were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. The three closed-ended questions were analyzed using basic descriptive statistics. Content analysis was used to analyze the open-ended questions. The study revealed that the majority of Gozitan spouses of MI patients are not given enough support especially from hospital staff Although all spouses and their relatives were very satisfied with the services offered to them by the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) nurses, most often they were not given enough information and support as they expected, such as spiritual and social support. Conclusions drawn from this study suggest that there is an urgent need to provide support not only for the patient, but also for the spouse who will be going through a turmoil as the patient. It is suggested that more research regarding nurses' knowledge of giving support and counseling to MI patients and their spouses in Malta, especially in Gozo is needed, and an information booklet on all aspects of MI will be indispensably helpful for the spouses concerned. Moreover, support groups and educational programs should be initiated so as to help these spouses and help decrease levels of depression and anxiety among patients and their spouses.