The decision of patients with symptoms of an acute myocardial infarction to seek medical help is a complex interaction of previous knowledge and experience, beliefs, emotions, and the context of the event. Pattenden and colleagues (p 1006) interviewed 22 patients admitted to hospital with confirmed second, third, or fourth myocardial infarctions. They say that simply providing patients with information on the symptoms of acute myocardial infarction, and of what to do in the event of these symptoms, may not be sufficient to promote prompt action.
