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Hjärtsvikt är en vanligt förekommande sjukdom med ökad prevalens. Viktiga delar i behandlingen av hjärtsvikt är egenvård och följsamhet till behandling vilket innefattar att tolka och agera korrekt utifrån symtom och tecken till hjärtsvikt. Genom att tidigt upptäcka symtom på hjärtsvikt kan adekvata åtgärder sättas in som förhindrar en ytterligare försämring.  Syftet var att belysa hur personer med hjärtsvikt tolkar och agerar vid symtom och tecken på hjärtsvikt.  Metoden som användes var en litteraturöversikt med systematisk sökstrategi. De inklusionskriterier som användes var att artiklarna skulle handla om personer som var över 18 år med diagnosen hjärtsvikt. Artiklarna var av kvalitativ, kvantitativ och mixad metod och uppfyllde kriterierna för god eller mycket god kvalité enligt kvalitetsgranskningen. Artiklarna sammanställdes i en integrerad analys.  Resultatet som framkom består av två kategorier och sex underkategorier. Den första kategorin är “Tolkning av symtom” med underkategorierna “Symtom och hur de upplevs”, “Förståelse av symtom” och “Patientens bedömning av symtom”. Den andra kategorin som framkom var “Agerande på symtom” med underkategorierna “Strategier innan vårdsökande” och “Sökande av vård”. Resultatet lyfter olika aspekter som påverkar hur personer med hjärtsvikt tolkar och agerar vid symtom och tecken på hjärtsvikt.  Slutsatsen är att tolkning av och agerande vid symptom och tecken på hjärtsvikt är individuellt och verkar bero på kunskapsnivå, psykiska faktorer, anhörigas delaktighet, tidigare erfarenheter och relationen med vården. / Heart failure is a common disease with increased prevalence. Essential parts in the treatment of heart failure are self-care and compliance, which includes interpreting and acting correctly when experiencing signs and symptoms of heart failure. By detecting symptoms of the heart failure early, adequate measures can be put in place to prevent a further deterioration.  The aim was to highlight how people with heart failure interpret and act up on symptoms and signs of heart failure.  The method used was a literature review with a systematic search strategy. The inclusion criteria used were that the articles should be about people over 18 with a diagnosis of heart failure. The articles were of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods and met the criteria for good or very good quality according to quality. The articles were compiled in an integrated analysis.  The result that emerged consists of two categories and six subcategories. The first category is “Interpretation of symptoms” with subcategories “Symptoms and how they are experienced”, “Understanding of symptoms” and “Patient's assessment of symptoms”. The second category that emerged is "Acting on symptoms" with subcategories "Strategies before seeking care" and "Seeking care". The result highlights different aspects that influence how people with heart failure interpret and act upon symptoms and signs of heart failure.  The conclusion is that the interpretation of and action in symptoms and signs of heart failure is individual and seems to depend on the level of knowledge, psychological factors, the participation of relatives, previous experiences and the relationship with the care.

Black people in the U.S. die at younger ages, have significantly higher rates of death from treatable medical conditions, are more likely to have late-stage breast and colon cancer diagnoses and more likely to die from these cancers, and are at higher risk for chronic illnesses compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Accessing healthcare is crucial to health and well-being; however, U.S. immigrants' use of healthcare services is far less than native-born Americans. Haitian immigrants experience health disparities at the highest rate compared to other Black immigrants in the U.S. Given their unique history, culture, and immigration experience, it is necessary to understand the health-seeking decision-making process and behaviors among Haitian immigrants. This study thus explored the following research question: How do Haitian immigrants make decisions about their health-seeking behavior? In response, this qualitative study used the Grounded Theory approach, collecting data through semi-structured interviews and a focus group with adult Haitian immigrants living in Central Florida. This led to the development of a theoretical model which shows that Haitian immigrants engage in the following process: 1. Self-Diagnosing, 2. Self-Treating: Informal Health-seeking, 3. Self-Monitoring, 4. Considering Formal Health-seeking, and 5. Seeking Medical Services: Formal Health-seeking. The model also demonstrates how barriers impede the steps towards formal health-seeking; however, Haitian immigrants can bypass these barriers under specific conditions. Understanding this phenomenon of health-seeking decision-making has implications for culturally-appropriate interventions and healthcare and housing policies to address health disparities and promote well-being among Haitian immigrants.

Although Talcott Parsons’s sick role theory, as described in 1951 in The Social System, has been severely criticized for its inapplicability to chronic illnesses, a portion of the theory is still a relevant and necessary factor in terms of understanding and treating chronic illness today. Using data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey, this study looks at the individual effects of sex, age, race, cohabitation, education and region of residence on the likelihood of chronically ill patients considering themselves limited in their amount or kind of work as an indicator of sick role adaptation. Results show statistically significant relationships between work limitation and sex, age, cohabitation, education and region of residence, when controlling for the duration of the respondents’ condition. Further evaluation of these results is provided.