Symptoms of Acute Myocardial Infarction as Described in Calls to Tele-Nurses and in Questionnaires: A Mixed-Methods Study

Patient-reported symptoms of acute myocardial infarction (MI) may be affected by recall bias depending on when and where symptoms are assessed. AIM: The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of patients' symptom description in more detail before and within 24 hours after a confirmed MI diagnosis. METHODS: A convergent parallel mixed-methods design was used to examine symptoms described in calls between the tele-nurse and the patient compared with symptoms selected by the patient from a questionnaire less than 24 hours after hospital admission. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed separately and then merged into a final interpretation. RESULTS: Thirty patients (median age, 67.5 years; 20 men) were included. Chest pain was the most commonly reported symptom in questionnaires (24/30). Likewise, in 19 of 30 calls, chest pain was the first complaint mentioned, usually described together with the symptom onset. Expressions used to describe symptom quality were pain, pressure, discomfort, ache, cramp, tension, and soreness. Associated symptoms commonly described were pain or numbness in the arms, cold sweat, dyspnea, weakness, and nausea. Bodily sensations, such as feeling unwell or weak, were also described. Fear and tiredness were described in calls significantly less often than reported in questionnaires (P = .01 and P = .02), whereas “other” symptoms were more often mentioned in calls compared with answers given in the questionnaire (P = .02). Some symptoms expressed in the calls were not listed in the questionnaire, which expands the understanding of acute MI symptoms. The results showed no major inconsistencies between datasets. CONCLUSION: Patients' MI symptom descriptions in tele-calls and those reported in questionnaires after diagnosis are comparable and convergent.