An exploration of women's decision trajectories: seeking professional help for an AMI

Background:
The decision to seek professional help in the circumstances of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is often delayed for too long.

Aim:
To explore the lived experience of three women in the decision phase prior to seeking professional care for a first AMI and provide justification for continuance of the study.

Design:
Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to explore for meaning, using in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted in the homes of three participants purposively recruited for the pilot study from a cardiac centre situated in the West of Scotland.

Results:
Seven patterned themes were identified from hermeneutically analysed data: level of attunement, weighing up perception of urgency, ownership of decision, expressive language, family car, traditional perception of NHS services and relinquishing control.

Conclusion:
The pilot study exposed the complexity of the decision trajectory. Different ontological and social meanings were attached to women's decisions which require further exploration.