THE EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE AWAITING CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS GRAFT-SURGERY - THE ICELANDIC EXPERIENCE

Prolonged waiting for major elective surgery has been a problem in sev eral Western countries for many years. In Iceland coronary artery bypa ss graft (CABG) surgery was installed in 1986 and this descriptive stu dy was conducted to describe systematically the experience of Icelandi c people waiting for CABG surgery with the purpose of gaining informat ion about what nursing services these people need during the waiting p eriod. The survey used a mailed questionnaire developed by the authors . The target population consisted of people awaiting coronary artery b ypass graft surgery at the National University Hospital in Iceland, at two predetermined days with a 10-month interval. The return rate was 81.8% (n = 72). Mean time on the waiting list was 5 to 6 months. The w aiting for surgery had negative effects on the work and daily life of the majority of the subjects and they were dissatisfied with their hea lth status. Prominent symptoms were fatigue, shortness of breath, ches t pain, anxiety and depression. Most patients (86.6%) experienced stre ss with 28.4% of them reporting a serious level of stress. The majorit y reported considerable negative influences of their illness on their spouse and family, particularly on their emotional condition. The conc lusion drawn is that shortening the waiting period for CABG surgery sh ould be a primary objective; however, that may be unlikely with the pr esent Icelandic health care system. Therefore, helping the individuals and their families live with the lengthy wait is a necessity.