Experiences of health management among people at high risk of stroke in China: A qualitative study

Abstract

Background: Effective health management of people at high risk of stroke in China is challenging. Aim: To explore and identify the experiences of health management among people at high risk of stroke in order to provide a foundation for a targeted health management strategy for this special group. Design: A qualitative, descriptive study based on interviews. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 31 people at high risk of stroke. The interviews were collated and analysed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Results: A total of 31 people at high risk of stroke were included, and the ages ranged from 40 to 86, with an average age of 60.71 (SD = 11.55). The experiences of health management were categorized into three themes. Theme 1: Facing many ongoing problems in health management, limited knowledge, lack of confidence and poor compliance. Theme 2: Accumulated some value experiences of coping with problems of health management, becoming active learners, promoting social interaction and enhancing self-health management. Theme 3: Sensitivity to multiple influencing factors, the severity of disease and complexity of disease management, family income and economic burden and the value of social support. Conclusions: This study explored the experiences of health management among people at high risk of stroke, and these findings are of great significance in the primary prevention of stroke.