(P141) FOCUS GROUP: IMPROVING THE KNOWLEDGE OF PATIENTS ON WOMEN'S HEART HEALTH SELF-CARE MANAGEMENT

Background/Purpose: Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) disease and angina with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (ANOCA) are more prevalent in women than in men. In addition, microvascular dysfunction, one of the causes of MINOCA and ANOCA, is associated with higher rates of myocardial infarction and death in women. Symptoms and outcomes of heart disease are different in women, which can make their evaluation and management challenging. In a clinic developed specifically for women’s heart health, patients with SCAD, MINOCA, and ANOCA are referred for further assessment and follow-up. Considering the needs of these individuals, understanding their perspectives, and actively engaging them in their care is an important factor in supporting positive patient outcomes. A Women’s Heart Health Patient Education Guide was developed to better inform patients regarding their heart health with the goal of improving self-care strategies.
Purpose: To evaluate the need for improvement and/or changes to the Women’s Heart Health Education Guide, based on feedback from Women’s Heart Health Clinic (WHHC) patients.

METHODS/RESULTS: A focus group assessment was performed with four WHHC patients who volunteered to participate when randomly invited by the WHHC nurse. The group event was conducted using Microsoft Teams platform on a mutually agreed upon day and duration time was over 1.5 hours. All participants agreed on the usefulness of the Guide for women. They voiced that the Guide is unique and provides encouragement to all patients to discuss their health concerns with their doctor. One participant mentioned her appreciation of having access to information specific to women. The participants felt that they were heard and not alone. Each participant recommended corrections to the Guide. The main and unanimous suggestion was to include testimonies from women with lived experience. All participants proposed to include their own personal story into the Guide as examples to help other women.

CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Outcome: The Guide was enriched by including the personal stories and important quotations from the participants such as “realize that women’s cardiac health is understudied and that some professionals may not recognize women’s cardiac symptoms” and “you’re not too young to have a cardiac event”. A gap was also identified as to the lack of a woman-specific education group that would be led by healthcare providers. We are currently planning for these education meetings to occur in the upcoming year.