Symptom-Demand journey map for patients with cardiometabolic multimorbidity undergoing the periprocedural pathway of percutaneous coronary intervention: A qualitative study

Abstract Background Patients with cardiometabolic multimorbidity (CMM) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) face complex physical, psychosocial, and self-management demands, yet their stage-specific symptoms and care needs across the PCI pathway remain insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to map these stage-specific experiences and construct a patient journey map to inform tailored nursing care. Methods Guided by the Timing It Right (TIR) framework, we conducted a qualitative descriptive study using maximum-variation purposive sampling. Sixteen patients with CMM undergoing PCI were recruited from the Department of Cardiology at a tertiary hospital in Wuhan, China, from June to July 2026 and participated in 20 semi-structured interviews. Qualitative content analysis used four prespecified journey-map domains with inductive development of subthemes, which were synthesized into a patient journey map. Results The PCI pathway was represented by three phases: preprocedural preparation, postprocedural recovery, and transition. Forty-eight subthemes were identified across four domains: symptoms, care needs, emotions, and pain points. Preprocedural accounts emphasized symptom recognition, gaps in chronic disease self-management, and needs for procedural information and reassurance; postprocedural accounts centered on symptom burden, prognostic uncertainty, and rehabilitation support; before discharge, patients anticipated difficulties coordinating multimorbidity self-management and expressed needs for structured, multidisciplinary continuity of care. Conclusions The journey map identified distinct stage-specific patterns in symptoms, emotions, care needs, and pain points among patients with CMM undergoing PCI. These findings may help align nursing support with preprocedural information and reassurance needs, postprocedural symptom and rehabilitation needs, and pre-discharge preparation for coordinated multimorbidity self-management.