Lived Experiences of Cardiac Pacemaker Patients

Introduction: Permanent cardiac pacemaker implantation, and introducing a foreign body into the heart, a part of the human anatomy that symbolically represents emotions, may be considered a major life event. Therefore, it is recommended that the healthcare team gain understanding of the experience of pacemaker patients and present information based on patients’ experiences in order to actively involve the patients in the administration and management of their illness process. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the patients' experiences of living with a permanent cardiac pacemaker. Method: In this study, descriptive phenomenological method and the Colaizzi`s proposed stages were used. Purposeful sampling of patients with single and dual chamber cardiac pacemakers was performed. Overall, ۱۳ interview sessions were held with ۱۰ participants. The minimum duration of an interview was ۳۵ minutes and the maximum ۵۴ minutes. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Results: The emerging themes according to the qualitative data are embedded in the Iranian socio-cultural context. They consist of five themes: living with pacemaker, pacemaker identity, balance in control, consequences and relief. Conclusion: The findings of this study, as a small image of the large and complex world, can be used in order to design and implement effective care for pacemaker patients. Having a clearer understanding of these patients’ experiences will help healthcare workers to design supportive and caring programs that will meet these patients’ needs more holistically.

Keywords:

Cardiac pacemaker , Patient experience , Phenomenology , Colaizzi method