Table 4.

Categories and original data from the theme ‘Making sense of information (understanding the diagnosis)’

Category	Data
Accompanying participants allowed carers access to information	Those lectures we went to were very good weren’t they because they gave you some idea of of …what to look for if it started to happen again…It’s going to be there and you’ve got to deal with it in your way haven’t you. So those lectures were very good in the fact that they described everything to you. (Carer of P13)
Carers’ desire to know more about the diagnosis	I’m forever nagging you, always asking you what they’ve said and what…(Carer of P14)
	Participant: Oh god they’re all doing my head in because they can’t get time off to come with me so, ‘what about this and…’ (P14)
Carer interpretation of HF	The breathing, the coughing, they said it was on his lungs. His lungs weren’t… because his heart wasn’t beating properly all the gunge was going on to his lungs. (Carer of P16)
Carers clarify explanations of HF to participants	Because the [carer - nurse] came with me ‘cause she understands the old… medical jargon what they like to… talk on, you know sometimes. And the ordinary patient can’t understand what they’re talking about. She can and she’ll refer it back to us after. (P16).