UPBEAT study patients' perceptions of the effect of coronary heart disease on their lives: A cross-sectional sub-study

Many primary care patients are ambivalent to the effects of coronary heart disease, but some report positive effects. Negative perceptions are associated with reported functional impairment, chest pain and anxiety, but not illness severity or patient characteristics. Future work will track the implications of these perceptions, but nurses managing patients with coronary heart disease should consider these effects as they may be modifiable predictors of adaptation.