[Educational needs and implantable medical devices: How to meet the expectations of patients with coronary stents and heart valves?]

Abstract

At the Grenoble Alpes University Hospital Center, patients with cardiovascular disease have the opportunity to participate in a therapeutic education program in the cardiac rehabilitation department. The objective of this study is to analyze the educational needs of patients with coronary stents and heart valve prostheses. Using an exploratory qualitative method, semi-structured research interviews were conducted with 22 patients and an inductive thematic analysis was performed. We found that emergency surgery does not facilitate the assimilation of information in comparison with a scheduled procedure. The image of the "repaired heart" creates a cognitive conflict with the chronicity imposed by secondary preventive monitoring, a particularity of the implantable medical device. Patients feel that the information they receive is sometimes too voluminous and not adapted to their current needs. Thus, we propose an individualized support model based on the respect of temporality and on the psycho-behavioral functioning of the patient.

Keywords: Cardiologie; Cardiology; Dispositif médical implantable; Implantable medical device; Patient therapeutic education; Éducation thérapeutique du patient.