Older heart failure patients' experiences of follow-up in primary care after discharge from hospital.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of hospitalizations among the older population. However, the need for healthcare persists after hospitalization due to the fluctuating nature of HF, which includes stable, unstable, and acute phases. The aim of this study was to explore older individuals' experiences of receiving follow-up care in the primary care setting after being discharged from hospital with HF. DESIGN: This study used a qualitative design with interviews; qualitative content analysis with a manifest, inductive approach was used for data analysis. SETTING: The study was conducted in primary healthcare within one Swedish healthcare region. RESULTS: The analysis revealed a central category, ?Inside or Outside the Safe Sphere of Care", with two sub-categories ?A Safety Net" and "A Sense of Abandonment". CONCLUSION: The result showed that for some patients the chain of care worked well, and they felt safe and cared for. For others the current system of care sometimes might be too complicated for these older comorbid patients to understand and manage.