The effects of health beliefs on health care‐seeking decisions of Jordanian patients with myocardial infarction symptoms

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to examine the significance of health beliefs, perceived seriousness of harmful consequences and perceived barriers in explaining health care-seeking decisions of patients experiencing myocardial infarction symptoms. A structured interview guide developed by the researchers that included health beliefs, patient delay, sociodemographics and clinical characteristics of the patients was introduced to 79 myocardial infarction patients on the third day of hospitalization. Thirty-eight per cent of the patients delayed the health care-seeking decision > 1 h. Gender, age and perceived seriousness of the consequences significantly distinguished between delayers and non-delayers, correctly classifying 77% of the cases. Delayers were more likely to be female and young adults, and those who perceived increased negative consequences to myocardial infarction. Educational and counselling programmes for individuals at increased risk for myocardial infarction should consider the negative influence of perceived seriousness of consequences on the decision-making process of the patients. Also, interventions to change women's perception of their vulnerability to this illness are needed.

Comfort as a basic need in hospitalized patients in Iran: a hermeneutic phenomenology study

“…Family members who are in the company of patients have an important supportive role, as also noted in earlier reports (Hickey & Lewandowski 1988, Al-Hassan & Omran 2005, Marco et al 2006. In most cases, family members and patients are so worried about each other in hospital that they want to be in each other's company frequently.…”

Age and Sex Differences in Duration of Prehospital Delay in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction

“…5,7–10,15,16,18,26,30–33,38,39,43 On the other hand, nine studies with a median sample size of approximately 280 patients found no age-related differences in extent of pre-hospital delay (Tables 2, 3 and 4). 11,12,14,20,26,49 Only one small study (n=79) in Jordan found younger age to be associated with prolonged delay in seeking acute medical care 44…”

“…First, some studies used either convenience11,12,20,40,44,47,49 or restricted patient samples16,20–22,32,39,47 that may have resulted in selection biases or findings with limited generalizability. Several studies had small sample sizes,11,12,20,40,44,47,49 with a consequent lack of statistical power.…”

“…First, some studies used either convenience11,12,20,40,44,47,49 or restricted patient samples16,20–22,32,39,47 that may have resulted in selection biases or findings with limited generalizability. Several studies had small sample sizes,11,12,20,40,44,47,49 with a consequent lack of statistical power. Many studies relied primarily on information from medical records which may be associated with information bias5,7–9,16–18,30,37,39 and may not have precisely characterized extent of delay in comparison to data collected through in person interviews.…”

A common pathway toward women's health

“…The man's role of being the 'breadwinner' can increase the importance placed on male health, and can devalue the woman's contribution to the household. These social factors may inadvertently cause women to ignore their own illness and delay seeking medical care until they are too sick to perform their expected chores (Turmen 2003, Lefler and Bondy 2004, Al-Hassan and Omran 2005.…”