Association between symptoms in seeking medical care and the possible and the final diagnosis of hospitalized patients in a cardiology department

Postgraduate Thesis uoadl:2820653 308 Read counter

Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Μονάδες Εντατικής Θεραπείας-Καρδιολογική Νοσηλευτική
Library of the School of Health Sciences
Deposit date:
2018-11-28
Year:
2018
Author:
Loizou Theodoros
Supervisors info:
Κυρίτση Ελένη, Ομότιμη Καθηγήτρια, Νοσηλευτική, Πανεπιστήμιο Δυτικής Αττικής
Τούσουλης Δημήτριος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Τούτουζας Κωνσταντίνος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Συσχέτιση των συμπτωμάτων αναζήτησης ιατρικής βοήθειας με την πιθανή και τελική διάγνωση ασθενών νοσηλευόμενων σε καρδιολογικό τμήμα
Languages:
Greek
Translated title:
Association between symptoms in seeking medical care and the possible and the final diagnosis of hospitalized patients in a cardiology department
Summary:
Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death responsible for 3.9 million deaths annually which is 45% of deaths in Europe. Also, ischemic heart disease is responsible for 862,000 deaths in men and 877,000 deaths in women annually in the same area and, apart from life lost is a major cause of morbidity.
Purpose: The aim of the present study was to explore data of hospitalized patients in cardiology department as well as the association between symptoms in seeking medical care and the possible and final diagnosis.
Method and material: The sample of the study consisted of 201 hospitalized patients in the cardiac department of the General Hospital of Athens "Hippocrates" from May to July 2018. Data were collected from patient files in a form specially designed for the needs of the research. The analysis was performed with the SPSS-22 statistical packet and the statistical test x2-test was applied. The significance level was set at 0.05.
Results : Of the 201 participants, 84.6% were men and 31.3% below 65 years old. Moreover, 85.1% of the sample reported a cardiovascular problem that pre-existed and while the symptoms responsible of seeking for medical care was in 47.2% the pre-severe pain and shortness of breath. The initial possible diagnosis in Emergency Department was consistent with the final diagnosis and more in detail in 29.9% was acute myocardial infarction, 7.5% atrial fibrillation, 13.4% heart failure, 21.9% diabetes mellitus and some cardiac problem, arrhythmias in 20.4% and in 7% there was no cardiac problem. Regarding the initial symptom responsible of seeking for care, men reported more frequent chest pain and dyspnea while women reported weakness, p=0.005 and there was found no statistically significant difference in the type of treatment, p>0.05. Participants below 64 years old reported more often chest pain and shortness of breath, p=0.032, and in terms of treatment, coronary intervention was more common in the group of age below 65 years old, p=0.018. With regard to the initial possible diagnosis in Emergency Department, those who were admitted for coronary artery disease, arterial hypertension and dyslipidemia were more often suffering from diabetes mellitus, p<0.001. In terms of final diagnosis, those suffering from acute myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus more frequently reported having arterial hypertension and dyslipidaemia, p<0.001, while the same group reported the chest pain and shortness of breath as the initial responsible symptom for seek medical care, and were treated more often with coronary intervention, p<0.001. With respect to coronary laboratory findings, those having stenosis of 2 or more vessels reported more often to have arterial hypertension, dyslipidemia, or generally coronary artery disease, p<0.001, and they reported the chest pain and dyspnea to be the initial symptoms responsible for seek medical care, p<0.001, and finally were treated more often with coronary intervention, p<0.001.
Conclusions: The final diagnosis was no different from the initial diagnosis. Patients with chest pain more often come timely to the hospital in less than 3 hours. It has also been found that well-organized cardiology clinics and hemodynamic laboratories treat cardiology patients in a timely and correct manner.
Main subject category:
Health Sciences
Keywords:
Symptoms, Diagnosis, Hospitalized patients, Cardiology department
Index:
No
Number of index pages:
0
Contains images:
Yes
Number of references:
168
Number of pages:
112
File:
File access is restricted only to the intranet of UoA.

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