Post-discharge nutritional management for patients with coronary heart disease and frailty: a qualitative study

Background Frail elderly patients experience physiological function and reserve depletion, leading to imbalances in their internal environment, which increases the risk of coronary heart disease recurrence and malnutrition. However, the majority of these patients, who primarily have a low level of education and lack self-management skills, face difficulties actively dealing with obstacles during the transition period after their discharge from hospitalization. Therefore, it is necessary to understand and discuss in depth the nutrition management experience of discharged elderly patients with coronary heart disease and frailty (ages 65-80 years old) and to analyze the promoting and hindering factors that affect scientific diet behavior during the discharge transition period. Methods Fifteen elderly patients with coronary heart disease and frailty who had been discharged from the hospital for 6 months were interviewed using a semistructured method. The directed content analysis approach to descriptive research was used to extract topics from the interview content. Results All participants discussed the problems in health nutrition management experience of discharged. Five topics and ten subtopics were extracted, such as (1) Weak perceptions and behaviors towards healthy eating (personal habit solidification, negative attitudes towards nutrition management), (2) Lack of objective factors for independently adjusting dietary conditions (reliance on subjective feelings, times of appetite change), (3) Personal hindrance factors (memory impairment, deficiencies in self-nutrition management), (4) Expected external support (assistance care support, ways to obtain nutritional information), (5) Lack of continuous nutrition management (interruption of professional guidance, avoidance of medical treatment behavior). Conclusions Nutrition management after discharge places a burden on elderly patients with coronary heart disease and frailty. According to the patients' physical conditions, we should develop a diet support system that is coordinated by individuals, families and society.