Investigation of the Experiences of Patients Treated in Coronary Intensive Care Unit after Myocardial Infarction Using a Phenomenological Method

Introduction: This research aimed to reveal the subjective experiences, psychological difficulties, and feelings and opinions of myocardial infarction (MI) patients during their stay in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: This research employed a phenomenological method as a descriptive qualitative method. The research was conducted in June–July 2022. The research comprised 13 MI patients who received treatment at the coronary ICU of a research and training hospital. The collected data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method. Necessary permissions were obtained from the ethics committee of the relevant university. The article was written in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research control list.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 59.92±13.62 years and their ages ranged from 37 to 84 years. Of the participants, 69.2% were males, 46.2% were graduates of primary school, and 38.5% were self-employed. Of the total patients, 53.8% quit smoking due to MI, but 7.7% continued drinking. Among the patients, 84.6% had chronic diseas-es, which were mostly coronary artery diseases (92.3%) and hypertension (69.2%). The main symptoms experienced were chest pain (86.4%), getting tired easily (38.5%), breathlessness (30.8%), and burning in the sternum (23.1%). Three main themes derived from the analysis of the collected data were experiences with MI, experiences in the Coronary ICU, and new life after hospital discharge.

Discussion and Conclusion: The findings of the research showed the need for effective programs to cope with stress and cardiac rehabilitation programs to improve the psychosocial well-being of MI patients and maintain their adap-tation to a new life.

Keywords: Coronary intensive care unit; Myocardial infarction; Patient experience; Qualitative research