The cardiac patients’ perceptions of their responsibilities in adherence to care: a qualitative interview study

Aims and objectives To describe cardiac patients’ perceptions of their responsibilities in adherence to care. Background The responsibilities of cardiac patients’ adherence to care is a topical issue because of the increasing prevalence of noncommunicable diseases in Western countries, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Responsibilities for cardiac patients’ care have been studied, but little is described about patients’ perspectives in this study. Design A qualitative, hermeneutic inquiry. Methods We used face‐to‐face individual semistructured interviews with 21 cardiac patients (76% male) aged 58–86 in an urban area of Finland in winter 2013. The data were analysed hermeneutically with inductive content analysis. Results Based on our results, patients with cardiac disease understood that autonomy provided a basis for their responsibility in adherence to care. It included being able to make independent decisions, in collaboration with health professionals, or even to entrust that responsibility to healthcare professionals. Responsibilities were understood to be an expression of adherence, perceived to benefit the patient and included the duty to adopt a healthy lifestyle and care for their own medical condition. The main factors that influenced patients’ responsibilities around adherence to care were their individual resources and motivation, relationships with healthcare professionals and the resources of the healthcare system. Conclusion Autonomy is an inherent part of cardiac patients’ adherence to care, but there has been little focus on their responsibilities in the literature. More attention needs to be paid to the healthcare providers’ abilities to support patients’ duties and responsibilities in clinical practice and to future research.