The Lived experience of heart disease : a woman's perspective
File(s)
Date
2011-05Author
Woulf, Amanda L.
Advisor(s)
Marnocha, Suzanne
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Every minute a woman in the United States dies from cardiovascular disease
(Weiss, 2009). Despite the prevalence of heart disease, women continue to
underestimate the threat of heart disease. The diagnosis of heart disease can mean
battling with uncertainties of what the future will hold. Further examination of the lived
experiences of women with heart disease is needed to identify the uncertainties
experienced by women that impact their health behaviors. The purpose of this
descriptive, phenomenological study was to examine and describe the lived experience
of heart disease from the perspectives of women.
Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Theory (1988, 1990)served as the theoretical
foundation for this study. Mishel's theory was developed as a guide in understanding
how individuals cognitively develop meaning to their illness events. Data were collected
from a purposive sample of women with heart disease. Data were collected through
unstructured, face-to-face, audio-taped interviews. After data were collected and
transcribed, it was analyzed using Giorgi's phenomenological method. Data were then
described, compared, and applied to Mishel's Uncertainty in Illness Theory. Results,
implications, and conclusions were then based on the data received.
Subject
Cardiovascular system - Diseases
Heart - Diseases
Women - Health and hygiene
Heart disease in women
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/54098Description
A Clinical Paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nursing-Family Nurse Practitioner