Abstract
Background
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a debilitating, life-long disease with a heavy personal
cost, significantly impacting quality of life. It is a priority that health professionals
understand the experiences and emotional impact of living with CHF, to aid the design
and delivery of healthcare. The aim of this study is to describe the experience of
people living with CHF and their loved ones, from their own perspective.
Design
Twelve semistructured qualitative interviews were completed with 18 participants (12
with a CHF diagnosis and six family members). The responses were analysed descriptively
from a realist thematic viewpoint, to report a refined account of the participants’
lived experiences and realities.
Findings
Participants reported their lived experience through two developed themes: Heartache,
and Living with failure. Heartache described the emotions and emotional response caused
by their experience with CHF, including shock, fear, uncertainty, shame and guilt.
Disease terminology was found to be infrequently used, and the participants' understanding
of CHF was low, both of which could exacerbate their heartaches. Living with failure
described the way the heartaches changed their daily life and decision making. Poor
communication could make their experience more difficult and frustrating, negatively
impacting engagement with healthcare professionals.
Conclusion
The life of those with CHF is filled with experiences that cause a wealth of emotional
heartaches. Living with failure impacts on decision making, daily life and engagement
in healthcare. An effort to improve health literacy, a holistic approach to communication
and a focus on the appropriate application or review of the terminology should be
a priority for healthcare professionals in the future to better understand and engage
with this population.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 01, 2022
Accepted:
September 16,
2022
Received in revised form:
September 8,
2022
Received:
June 16,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2022 Australian College of Nursing Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
