Correlation between uncertainty in illness and family support of patients with coronary heart disease

Objective To explore the correlation between uncertainty in illness and family support of patients with coronary heart disease （CHD） in order to provide the basis for taking effective individual nursing intervention and promoting the rehabilitation of patients .Methods One hundred and thirty-two CHD patients were surveyed by Mishel uncertainty in illness scale and perceived social support from family scale （PSS-Fa）. Results The total score of uncertainty in illness was （69.11 ±9.398） in the patients with CHD, and the family support was negatively correlated with uncertainty in illness （r=-0.359,P〈0.05）.The differences were found in the score of uncertainty in illness in CHD patients with different education background , occupation, degree of discomfort, and history of coronary artery stent （F/t=5.047,3.131,4.229,-3.972, respectively;P 〈0.05 ）.Conclusions The family support of CHD patients is negatively correlated with uncertainty in illness , and the clinical nurses should pay attention to the family support situation , so as to reduce the uncertainty in illness and improve their quality of life . Key words: Coronary heart disease; Family support; Uncertainty in illness; Correlation