Supportive care needs in patients with cardiovascular disorders.

OBJECTIVES: Unmet medical needs are a focus in cardiovascular disorder (CVD) research. However, few studies have investigated patients' perceived needs. The present study examined supportive care needs in patients with CVD and their relation to health characteristics.

METHODS: In total 260 in-patients with CVD were consecutively assessed with the supportive care needs survey. Primarily, frequency and content of unmet needs were examined. Secondarily, CVD-diagnoses were compared and correlations with risk factors, treatment characteristics, mood-state and quality of life were analyzed.

RESULTS: Supportive care needs were indicated by 21% of all patients: unmet health information (37%) and psychological (23%) needs were most frequent. The number of unmet needs did not differ between most CVD-diagnoses. Unmet needs were not related to cardiac risk factors. However, treatment characteristics (r=.17-.23, p<.01), anxiety (r=.44-.71, p<.01), depression (r=.38-.63, p<.01), physical (r=.21-.47, p<.01) and mental (r=.29-.65, p<.01) quality of life were associated with unmet needs.

CONCLUSIONS: Supportive care needs are common in patients with CVD. They are based on patients' treatment characteristics, emotions and subjective well-being rather than on cardiac factors.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Needs assessments in patients with CVD could detect unmet needs, enhance patient education and communication and, therefore, effectively target patients' perceived needs and medical needs.