The Lived Experience of Spouses of People with Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator: A Phenomenological Hermeneutics Study

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a vital device for the treatment and control of heart dysrhythmia. This study aimed to determine the lived experience of spouses of people with implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
This qualitative study with phenomenological hermeneutic approach was performed using van Manen’s method. Participants consisted of 13 spouses of people with implantable cardioverter defibrillator referred to Imam Khomeini hospital, Tehran, Iran, in 2015. All the participants were chosen purposefully. Data were collected with in-depth semi-structured interviews. The duration of interviews was between 30 to 45 minutes. The data were analyzed using van Manen’s six-step method.
The three main themes of this research were experiencing the first shock (with subthemes of fear, shock expectation, and unpleasant experience), sense of security (with subthemes of receiving hidden help, gain of control, and dependence to the device), and experience of life limitation with implantable cardioverter defibrillator (with subthemes of interference with the role, the costs, limited mobility, driving, and commuting).
People with implantable cardioverter defibrillator had generally the sense of safety and security, despite some unpleasant experiences like electrical shock and some limitations. Healthcare provider especially nurses can provide necessary educations about the device instruction and promote self-care and quality of life in order to help people with implantable cardioverter defibrillator and their family.