Challenges to cardiac patients and families during the COVID-19 pandemic
Although a lot of patients can be managed well with support from a distance and are practising optimal self-care, many cardiac patients have problems and worries that are especially caused by the restrictions that the COVID-19 pandemic lays on society as well as the healthcare system.
Some of them are:
- Worrying about delayed or cancelled diagnostics and treatment. For example, will my ICD be replaced in a timely manner or is it safe to delay my intervention or cardiac surgery. Others worry about their diagnostic angiogram that is postponed and wonder if it is safe or if they will have a heart attack.
- Worrying about optimal care and readmission when out-patient follow-up visits are postponed or delayed, or when they are not admitted to hospital or discharged earlier than in a normal situation without COVID-19.
- Feeling extra vulnerable and anxious as a cardiac patient and being advised of the need for total social distancing since they are at risk of becoming very ill or might die if affected by the coronavirus, or on the other hand feeling frustrated by being considered a ‘risk group’, while not feeling different than yesterday.
- Being restricted in the ability to exercise in, for example, the rehabilitation centre at the hospital or the local gym.
- Being afraid to get infected with COVID-19 and not knowing how to handle daily issues (for instance, what to disinfect and how often).
- Becoming angry and frightened when others do not adhere to advice given by the government and healthcare authorities (for instance keeping a distance).
- Feeling anxious and stressed when met by healthcare professionals in protective clothing or when met by healthcare professionals with no protection because of lack of protective equipment.
- Worrying about deterioration while having acute severe symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath and needing to be tested before receiving acute treatment or being hospitalised.
- Delaying seeking healthcare with acute chest pain and not knowing if their complaints are severe enough to burden the healthcare system.
- Worrying about if there will be enough resources to be treated with for example an acute PCI.
- Getting worried or feeling panic from browsing the Internet for COVID-19 information without any guidance.
- Having no realistic insight into the situation and feeling strong and immune, for instance feeling unrealistically safe on antibiotics and prednisolone.
- Wondering about whether they should increase, stop or decrease their medications for example ACE-inhibitor or ARB or do other self-care activities if infected by COVID-19.