Perceived social support among percutaneous coronary intervention patients over a long-term follow-up period.
Outi Kähkönen, Leila Paukkonen, Hannu Vähänikkilä and 1 others
PMID 38332498WHAT IT FOUND
Post-PCI patients reported high social support, but all three types were significantly lower at 6 years than 4 months.
Information about ongoing care and rehabilitation was the weakest area, especially over time.
Key findings
01Perceived social support was high after PCI, but informational, emotional and functional support were all significantly lower at 6 years than at 4 months.
02Information about the continuum of care and rehabilitation was the weakest area of informational support, with 86.7% reporting high support at 4 months and 64.4% at 6 years.
03Physicians and nurses were the most commonly mentioned sources of informational support; physicians were reported by 50.3% at 4 months and 53.8% at 6 years, nurses by 37.7% and 32.1%.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Data were self-reported, so patients may have given favourable answers rather than truthful ones. The instrument was self-developed, and emotional support had weak internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.60). Only 154 of the 352 patients who permitted follow-up responded after 6 years, a 43.8% response rate, so the sample may not represent all patients. Patients who adhere to treatment may be more likely to respond to questionnaires, which could bias results toward better support. Recruitment was convenience-based, and rapid discharge after PCI may have caused some eligible patients to be missed. Results were analysed at group level, so they should not be applied to individual patients without caution.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that post-PCI patients have adequate long-term support because 85.2% reported high support overall. The continuum of care and rehabilitation was the weakest area, and all support dimensions were significantly lower at 6 years than at 4 months.