Abstract
Objective
This study sought to evaluate the contributions of symptom recognition and clinical
factors to delays in care-seeking.
Methods
A descriptive correlational study design was used to study 75 patients (mean age,
74.7 years; SD, 10.86 years; range, 40 to 96 years) admitted to a tertiary-care medical
center with recurrent symptoms (New York Heart Association classes 2 to 4). The sample
was 52% male and 85.3% white. The Heart Failure Somatic Perception Scale (HFSPS) was
used to examine symptoms, and additional data were collected on physiologic, social,
and demographic factors.
Results
The mean HFSPS score was 37.52 (range, 2 to 74; possible range, 0 to 90). Subjects
reported 2 to 16 out of 18 possible symptoms. Durations of individual symptoms ranged
from 5 minutes to 8 years, with individual patients describing a variety of symptom
combinations and multiple time frames, depending on the specific symptom. Most subjects
(80%) reported a mixture of acute and chronic symptoms. A pattern of chronic vs. acute
symptoms was associated with proactive vs. emergent care-seeking, respectively. The
HFSPS scores did not correlate with care-seeking behavior.
Conclusion
Symptom recognition is a complex phenomenon, and few factors differentiate emergent
from proactive care-seeking.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 04, 2011
Accepted:
September 10,
2011
Received in revised form:
September 9,
2011
Received:
August 4,
2010
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
