Assessment of Demand for Psycho-Social Support for Patients with Chronic Cardiovascular Diseases

Abstract

Introduction. Chronic diseases, including cardiovascular ones, constitute a serious social and health problem of the contemporary world. The crucial role in care for chronically ill patients lies within the widely understood psycho-social support that enables the satisfaction of basic needs of the ill. The aim of the work was the assessment of demand for psycho-social support for patients with chronic cardiovascular diseases. Material and methods. The method of diagnostic survey was implemented with the use of a self-prepared questionnaire, which related to the subject of the research, as well as of the standardized Social Support Scale developed by Krystyna Kmiecik-Baran in the Institute of Social Studies. Results. Results of the research, the main source of support for chronically ill people with chronic cardiovascular diseases was a family. The ill over 80 years of age, with a slight majority of men, used the social support more often.
Conclusions. According to the assessment of patients with chronic cardiovascular diseases, it was a family that constituted the source of non-professional support. A family to the greatest degree provided the respondents with a strong emotional, informational, instrumental and appraisal support. Nursing staff as well as doctors offered greater support for older people.