By Tammy Gay

“We know as clinicians that when people seek treatment early, they can take advantage of life-saving therapies and the earlier patients receive treatment, the smaller their heart attack.”

Debra Moser, D.N.Sc.
College of Nursing Professor and
Linda C. Gill Chair

Jan. 4, 2001 (Lexington, Ky.) -- People having heart
attacks delay seeking medical help on average for two to six hours, decreasing their chances of a full optimal
recovery.

University of Kentucky College of Nursing Professor and Linda C. Gill Chair Debra Moser, D.N.Sc., is
participating in a multi-centered international study to
determine whether one-on-one nurse-administered
education and counseling with ischemic heart disease
patients and their family members will reduce the time they delay before seeking help for heart attack symptoms.

“We know as clinicians that when people seek treatment early, they can take advantage of lifesaving therapies and the earlier patients receive treatment, the smaller their heart attack,” Moser said.

“Many of these patients are in denial. They may be too
anxious to process what’s happening, or they are
embarrassed to go the hospital. As a result, they are
wasting valuable time.”

The National Institutes of Health has funded a $2.8
million, five-year study to test the effectiveness of the
nurse-administered education at five sites around the
world, including UK.

The education with the patient and his/her significant other will include teachings about:

• The recognition of symptoms of an evolving heart
  attack;
• Reasons why it’s important to seek treatment as
  soon as possible;
• The importance of taking an aspirin when symptoms start to reduce blood clots in the
  coronary arteries;
• Possible emotional reactions to a heart attack; and
• Calling 911 rather than driving to the hospital.

Patients and their family members will receive a follow-up phone call at one-month and will be contacted at three-, 12-, 24-, and 36-months after the intervention.

Rather than calling for an ambulance or going to the
hospital, previous studies have shown the most common response to a heart attack was patients trying to relax, said Moser, a principle investigator in the study.

Other study sites include San Diego State University in
San Diego, Calif., University of California at Los Angeles in Los Angeles, Calif., University of Technology Sydney in Sydney, Australia, University of Washington in Seattle, Wash., and a site in Germany. The data management site is the University of California at San Francisco School of Nursing in San Francisco, Calif.

Moser is seeking volunteers to participate in the research study. You may be a participant if you have been diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Participants will receive a free educational counseling session about their disease and when to seek treatment. For more information, call (866) 570-8528 (toll-free).