How does illness uncertainty impact recovery among patients with cardiac conditions?

Abstract

Illness uncertainty is a common experience across many chronic and acute conditions. Patients with cardiac conditions may experience uncertainty in relation to various aspects of their illness, including its causes, management and prognosis, as well as uncertainty about the future more broadly. There are several contributors to illness uncertainty among these patients, many of which are related to patient factors, such as previous expectations of the illness, sensitivity to physical symptoms and intolerance of uncertainty. Service factors, such as inadequate provision of information, can also contribute to illness uncertainty. Heightened illness uncertainty may result in negative psychological, cognitive and behavioural outcomes. Fears related to the future, specifically fear of disease progression and recurrent events, play an important role in how illness uncertainty is experienced by patients with cardiac conditions. This article presents an overview of illness uncertainty and its impact on cardiac recovery.