Narrative accounts of recovering at home after heart surgery

This article presents the results of an arts-informed narrative study of patients’ experiences of the home period of recovery. Sixteen adults, 59 to 85 years of age, scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft and/or valve repair or replacement were recruited from a preoperative clinic. Individual interviews were conducted at 48–96 hours following surgery, and between 4–6 weeks following discharge. The methodological approach is new, and extensive details of the analytic and creative process appear elsewhere.