Trivial or Troublesome: Experience with Coronary Heart Disease Medication from the Patient’s Perspective

Figures & data

Table 1 Characteristics of the Participants

Participant	Gender	Age	CHD-Diagnosis	Marital Status	Comorbidity	Attitude Towards Medicines
1	Male	63	NSTEMI	In relationship		Accepting
2	Male	65	STEMI	Married		Accepting
3	Female	72	NSTEMI	Widowed	SLE, Sjögren’s syndrome	Skeptical
4	Female	77	NSTEMI	Married	Gout	Accepting
5	Male	78	Angina	Married	Hip fracture	Accepting
6	Female	68	STEMI	Alone	Type 2 diabetes	Ambivalent
7	Male	60	NSTEMI	Alone	AF, type 2 diabetes, post-stroke	Indifferent
8	Male	77	Angina	Married	Type 2 diabetes, nephrectomy	Ambivalent
9	Male	56	STEMI	Married	Psoriasis, arthritis	Accepting
10	Male	65	NSTEMI	In relationship	Polymyalgia rheumatica	Indifferent
11	Male	58	Angina	Married		Ambivalent
12	Female	77	STEMI	Married	Type 2 diabetes, ankylosing spondylitis	Ambivalent
13	Female	75	Angina	Alone	Crohn’s disease	Accepting
14	Female	60	STEMI	Alone	Back pain	Accepting
15	Female	86	STEMI	Alone	Hypertension, osteoporosis	Accepting
16	Male	54	NSTEMI	Married		Missing data
17	Male	62	Angina	Alone		Indifferent
18	Female	69	STEMI	Married	Rheumatoid arthritis	Accepting
19	Male	78	NSTEMI	Married		Indifferent

Abbreviations: AF, atrial fibrillation; CHD, coronary heart disease; NSTEMI, Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction; SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus; STEMI, ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Table 2 Interview Guide Used for Interviews 4–19, Main Questions in Bold

What do you think about your medicines? How does it feel to take them? Do you feel safe with the treatment? Can you describe why?	How do you feel about taking … ? What does it mean to you to take … ? How are you affected by taking … ? Is it OK not to know … ? Can you give an example? How do you feel when you take your medicines?
Do you discuss your medicines with anyone? Have you had any problems with your medicines? What kind of support have you had in using medicines?	Are you satisfied with that? How would you prefer it to be? Has anyone offered you … ? Would you have wanted someone to discuss that with? In what way do you think that would be good?
This is a summary of your thoughts about medicines; do you agree with this summary? What things do you think have affected your opinion about medicines?	In what way? Can you tell me more? Can you give an example? How do you explain that? Has there ever been a situation when things did not turn out as you had expected?

Table 3 Example of the Analytical Process

Meaning Unit	Code	Sub-Category	Category
It’s also about the whole side-effects aspect and having read the material. It’s there (patient package insert) you find out all the information about that. Otherwise, how could I know? I am not knowledgeable about medicine in any way. I get it from there. (Female, 75)	Felt the need to read the patient package insert as she was not knowledgeable about medicine.	Wanted to be informed.	Taking responsibility for it.
” So I mentioned it to the doctor at the hospital when I was over there, and I also talked to someone else about it. It, it might have been when … I do not know. It was when I spoke to someone who thought that “there are other alternatives when it comes to metformin” or something like that; I would try that and I would discuss it with my diabetes nurse.” (Male, 60)	Discussed medical problems when he was in contact with healthcare and received guidance.	Took the initiative.

Table 4 Categorization of Medication-Related Experiences from the Perspective of 19 Patients After a Coronary Heart Disease Event

Categories	Sub-Categories
Sense of security	Trust the doctor Protected by the medicines Treated as a partner Someone to talk to
Unproblematic	I just take them Straightforward process Still feeling well Know all I need Easy to accept
Learning to live with it	Coming to terms with medicines Reflecting on medicines is a part of everyday life Necessary evil Creating a routine of one’s own
Taking responsibility for it	Want to be informed Taking the initiative Feel in charge of my own health Decided for myself
Somewhat uncertain	I take them but I am not sure I need them Missing information Lack someone to discuss with
Troublesome	Inconvenient and fussy Disturbed by the generic exchanges Annoying to easily bleed Restricted in every-day life Experience side effects
Distressing	Feel bad about taking them Distrust of healthcare or pharmacy Worrisome to get new generics Unwelcome reminder of ill health