Older people with heart failure and general practitioners: temporal reference frameworks and implications for practice

The aim of the study was to identify the time experiences of older patients and general practitioners (GPs). Secondary analysis of qualitative data collected from two longitudinal studies, one in the United Kingdom (UK) and the other in New Zealand (NZ), was carried out. The UK study involved interviews with 44 older people with heart failure and nine focus group discussions with primary health professionals during 2004-2005. The NZ study involved 79 interviews with 25 older people with heart failure and 30 telephone interviews with GPs during 2008-2009. Temporal reference frameworks function as background expectations and influence how patients and GPs experienced time and act as time controls. The key themes identified were: clock time was evident in how it structured the consultations; both patients and GPs valued needing time and for some GPs this involved creating space for emotional time. There were also tensions between needing time and wasting time; being known over time was important to both patients and GPs. For older people with heart failure improving their quality of care is essential and time is integral to this, not only the clock time and length of consultations. Identifying temporal reference frameworks provides an understanding that there are multiple times and exposes the influence of these in the lives of both the older people and GPs.