To explore the feelings and inner experiences of cardiovascular disease patients on risk communication, and to clarify the needs and expectations of patients on risk management.

From September to November 2022,a total of 12 patients with cardiovascular diseases treated at Department of Cardiology, Linyi People's Hospital were selected by the purposive sampling for semi-structured interviews, including 7 males and 5 females. They were 42 to 71 years old. The data were analyzed by the Colaizzi's analysis method, and the theme-words were extracted.

A total of 3 themes and 8 subthemes were extracted: including confusion of risk communication (lack of awareness, loss and forgetting of communication information, and difficulty in distinguishing information), risk communication attitude and response (active and passive communication, drawing on advantage and avoiding disadvantage communication, and alternative communication), risk communication cognition and expectation (risk communication information requirements and expecting diverse communication).

Medical staff should change patients' risk communication cognition and provide individualized risk communication strategies to improve their risk management ability.

Risk management; Cardiovascular diseases; Risk communication; Qualitative research