Coronary artery disease patients experience of patient education, follow up and self care support in rural areas of Iceland

Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): Icelandic regional development institute, The Icelandic Nurse´s Association, RHA-University of Akureyri, HSA, The Health Directorate of East-Iceland. OnBehalf KRANS People living in rural Iceland have higher rate of cardiovascular risk factors, healthcare utilization and death and worse self-reported health than people in urban areas. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experience of people with coronary heart disease, living in rural Iceland, of patient education, surveillance, and self-care support. The participants (N = 14, age 52-79 years, 8 male, 6 female) were interviewed 6-12 months after hospital discharge following a cardiac event (in 2018-2019). Systematic text-condensation was used for analysis. The findings were categorized into three main themes: 1) Education and support describes inadequate patient education and support from health professionals after discharge from hospital and how the internet was the main information source supplemented with spouse’s and family support. 2) Local health care services describe the lack of and importance of access to health professionals, stable services and underutilization of primary health care in the local area. 3) Self-care behavior describes the lack of professional support with lifestyle changes and how the participants manage self-care in their local area as well as their attitude towards the disease. In conclusion, the results indicate that access to continuous health services and person-centered support focusing on prevention strategies is widely impaired in rural areas in Iceland.