Identifying the needs of coronary patient wife-caregivers: implications for social workers.

Ninety-three women married to men who had experienced major medical crises resulting from coronary heart disease responded to a mail questionnaire designed to elicit the needs directly or indirectly created for them by their husbands' disease. The three areas of need--education, prevention, and support services--selected for evaluation had not been submitted previously for assessment with this population. Responses to the questionnaire indicated strong needs in all three areas. The results of the survey have implications for intervention with families by professionals in the areas of assessment, programming, and the professional's relationship to individual members of this population.