Exploring social support for women coping with a cardiac rehabilitation programme after acute coronary syndrome: A systematic review of qualitative studies

• Main Authors: Singh, Sukhbeer Kaur Darsin, Yahya Ahmad Noor, Abqariyah, Ahmedy, Fatimah, Abdullah, Khatijah Lim, Abidin, Imran Zainal, Suhaimi, Anwar, Sator, Patricia
• Format: Article
• Published: Foundation for Rehabilitation Information 2022
• Subjects: R Medicine
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/40868/

Female sex is a major barrier to comple-ting a programme of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Women require sig-nificant social support to promote compliance and the ability to cope with CR programme attendance. The aim of this systematic review of qualitative stu-dies was to explore social support among women coping with CR programme attendance at phase II CRP is 3 months after their cardiac event.Methods: Articles were searched through CINAHL (Cumulative Index and Allied Health Literature), Science Direct and PubMed databases using the following terms: ``women'', ``acute coronary syn-drome'', ``coping'', ``social support'' and ``cardiac rehabilitation''.Results: A total of 6 articles were selected based on eligibility criteria. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data using line to line coding into descriptive themes, interpreting further to gene-rate new insights. The 3 most common themes regarding social support for women attending the CR programme were: family support, female as the primary caregiver in the family, and peer support. For most women who perceived themselves as the primary caregiver in the family there was a nega-tive impact on their ability to cope fully with CR programme attendance. On the other hand, encou-raging support from family and peers positively improved their coping mechanism for attending the CR programme, leading to improved compliance.Conclusion: Women with ACS consider that sup-port from their family plays a vital role as a coping mechanism in their attendance at a CR programme. Healthcare providers should teach the importance of social support among women after discharge to help them cope with CR programme attendance.