TITLE:
Regaining Normalcy in Relatives of Patients with a Pacemaker
AUTHORS:
Dan Malm, Anna Sandgren
KEYWORDS:
Grounded Theory; Interviews; Pacemaker; Relatives
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.4 No.3,
February
15,
2014
ABSTRACT:
Patients with chronic
diseases, such as those with pacemakers, have shown that they have a worsened well-being, which means an increased interest in investigating how
relatives of patients with pacemakers experience their situations and how the
disease affects their life situations. The aim of this study was to explore the
main concerns for the relatives of patients with a pacemaker and how they
resolve these issues. A classic grounded theory was used throughout the study
for data collection and analysis. Interviews were conducted with ten
participants. Striving for normalcy emerged as the main concern for relatives
of patients with a pacemaker and was handled through a
process of regaining normalcy where
the relatives strive to find a way to live as normal as possible. Regaining
normalcy is done through developing trust, dwindling and finally life stabilizing, in which they are either
holding back or new normalizing. Distinguishing signs are constantly done
during the process to quickly notice possible symptoms of the patient. Increased
knowledge and understanding of how the relatives of patients with a pacemaker
regain normalcy can be used as a guide in order to support and inform the
patient as well as their relatives in conjunction with implantation occasions
but also in connection with recurring and lifelong follow-up occasions.