Patient and general practitioner attitudes to healthy lifestyle behaviours and medication following coronary heart disease: an exploratory study
Catherine Speechly A E , Charles Bridges-Webb A , Suzanne McKenzie B , Yvonne Zurynski C D and Alison Lucas AA Projects, Research and Development Unit, RACGP NSW and ACT Faculty, 12 Mount Street, North Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia.
B School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Level 3, Samuels Building, The University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia.
C Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Level 2, Research Building, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.
D Faculty of Medicine, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
E Corresponding author. Email: cmspeechly@gmail.com
Australian Journal of Primary Health 16(2) 154-158 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY09011
Published: 19 May 2010
Abstract
Patients with coronary heart disease often engage in unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. We explored patients’ and general practitioners’ (GPs’) perceptions about the effectiveness of healthy behaviours and medications for the prevention of further cardiovascular disease. This exploratory study used semi-structured interviews with eight Sydney GPs and 13 of their patients with coronary heart disease. Patients perceived medications to be more effective than healthy behaviours in improving specific aspects of cardiovascular health, such as angina symptoms, cholesterol and blood pressure, whilst GPs perceived that medications were more effective in patients they considered at highest cardiovascular risk, patients with uncontrolled risk factors, or where adherence to healthy behaviours was poor. Among patients we found a negative perception of the effort required to adhere to healthy behaviours and possible underestimation of their future cardiovascular risk. Patients valued support from peers and family. This study opens up avenues for investigation in further research, including whether patient adherence to healthy behaviours may be enhanced by the exploration of their perceptions about behaviour effectiveness, barriers and cardiovascular risk and by GP facilitation of practical supports.
Additional keywords: behaviour modification, general practice, secondary prevention, qualitative.
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank all participating patients and GPs. This study was funded by a Cardiovascular Research Grant (funded by Pfizer) through the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Research Foundation.
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