TY - JOUR

T1 - Mastering health following minor stroke-A qualitative explorative study

AU - Liljehult, Jacob

AU - Molsted, Stig

AU - Christensen, Thomas

AU - Moller, Tom

AU - Overgaard, Dorthe

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Background: Patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attack are encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle to prevent recurrent stroke. After discharge health behaviour is performed in an individual everyday context and must be properly understood within this context, including which aspects act as facilitators or barriers for healthy behaviour. Objectives: To explore the experience of daily life in patients discharged home after minor stroke or transient ischemic attack, focusing on perceived health and reflection on health behaviour, and how this is associated with their overall experience of returning to their everyday context in relation to potential sequelae of stroke. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted 3 - 13 months after discharge with sixteen patients discharged home after minor stroke or transient ischemic attack. Inductive thematic analysis was performed to analyse the interviews. Results: Participants associated their health and behaviour within a lens of worrying for future life prospect and triggered by perceived intrusive changes in their life condition. Even though some found it possible to resume participation in everyday life within weeks, they became increasingly aware that minor cognitive deficits, difficulties with planning, multi-tasking, memory, and fatigue influenced their health believes and behavioural patterns. The need for social and professional support had to be balanced against a wish for independence. Conclusion: Patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attacks experience changes as both being concrete in the form of persisting symptoms and abstract in the form of worries and uncertainty about the future. Perceived health was associated with a new sense of vulnerability due to realisations about the risk of recurrent stroke. Worries were anchored within the individual to handle, but for some they serve as a motivator to regulate their behaviour in order to master health.

AB - Background: Patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attack are encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle to prevent recurrent stroke. After discharge health behaviour is performed in an individual everyday context and must be properly understood within this context, including which aspects act as facilitators or barriers for healthy behaviour. Objectives: To explore the experience of daily life in patients discharged home after minor stroke or transient ischemic attack, focusing on perceived health and reflection on health behaviour, and how this is associated with their overall experience of returning to their everyday context in relation to potential sequelae of stroke. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted 3 - 13 months after discharge with sixteen patients discharged home after minor stroke or transient ischemic attack. Inductive thematic analysis was performed to analyse the interviews. Results: Participants associated their health and behaviour within a lens of worrying for future life prospect and triggered by perceived intrusive changes in their life condition. Even though some found it possible to resume participation in everyday life within weeks, they became increasingly aware that minor cognitive deficits, difficulties with planning, multi-tasking, memory, and fatigue influenced their health believes and behavioural patterns. The need for social and professional support had to be balanced against a wish for independence. Conclusion: Patients with minor stroke or transient ischemic attacks experience changes as both being concrete in the form of persisting symptoms and abstract in the form of worries and uncertainty about the future. Perceived health was associated with a new sense of vulnerability due to realisations about the risk of recurrent stroke. Worries were anchored within the individual to handle, but for some they serve as a motivator to regulate their behaviour in order to master health.

KW - Stroke

KW - Transient ischaemic attack

KW - Nursing

KW - Health behaviour

KW - TRANSIENT ISCHEMIC ATTACK

KW - SURVIVORS

KW - EXPERIENCES

U2 - 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2022.106607

DO - 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2022.106607

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35753094

VL - 31

JO - Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases

JF - Journal of Stroke & Cerebrovascular Diseases

SN - 1052-3057

IS - 8

M1 - 106607

ER -