Sammanfattning
Purpose: In-depth understanding of what women experience as important in cardiac
rehabilitation (CR) phase 2, regarding strengthening confidence in the body and promoting
exercise and physical activity after a cardiovascular event.
Design and method: A qualitative study based on a focus group interview analyzed
by systematic text condensation.
Material: Four women participated in CR in primary care.
Findings: Two overarching themes were identified; «Strengthened faith in the body»
and «From supervised to autonomous - empowered through bodily experiences, perception
and understanding».
Conclusion: This study highlights that early implementation of exercise-based CR provides
valuable experiences to strengthened confidence in the body, reduced anxiety
for what the heart can tolerate and increased awareness of the importance of exercise
and physical activity. Skilled professionals and peers are regarded as crucial contributors
to this process.