Background: About 17 million people die of cardiovascular disease in the world each year, of which almost 25% are sudden cardiac death. Cardiovascular disease deaths are a global public health problem. Although cardiovascular disease mortality has decreased in recent years, cardiovascular disease is still the dominant cause of death in Europe for both men and women. Coronary heart disease is one of the common types of Cardiovascular diseases that can in some untreated cases lead to heart attack. Changes in mortality are explained by changes in lifestyle such increased physical activity, healthy diet and improvement in treatment strategies. Physical inactivity is one of the many risk factors for coronary heart disease. The disease can be prevented by för instance engaging in physical activities.

Aim: The purpose of the study was to describe what factors affect nurses' work in motivating cardiac and coronary heart disease patients to physical activity.

Method /Design: A literature review was conducted based on both qualitative and quantitative articles.

Results: Three main themes and seven sub themes were identified; Nurses 'approach, nurses' knowledge and external factors. Increasing the nurse's knowledge and skills, communication and attitudes, person-centred work, health education, use of various tools as well as lack of time and resources in the behaviour change process played an important role in nurses health promotion work in motivating patients with cardiac and coronary heart disease to physical activity.

Conclusion: Nurses' encourage health promotion by motivating patients with coronary heart disease to physical activity and lifestyle change on various factors. It has been found that these factors have both positive and negative effects on the patient's behaviour change process. Nurses' knowledge, nurses’ approach and other external factors are of great importance for directly affecting the patient's process of lifestyle change.

Cirka 17 miljoner personer dör i hjärt-kärlsjukdomar i världen varje år, varav nästan 25% är plötslig hjärtdöd. Dödsfall i hjärt-kärlsjukdomar är ett globalt folkhälsoproblem. Trots att dödlighet i hjärt-kärlsjukdomar har minskat de senaste åren är hjärt-kärlsjukdomar fortfarande den dominerande dödsorsaken i Europa för både män och kvinnor. Kranskärlsjukdomar är en av de vanliga typerna av hjärt-kärlsjukdomar som kan vid obehandlade fall leda till hjärtinfarkt. Förändringar i dödlighet förklaras av förändringar i levnadsvanor såsom ökad fysisk aktivitet, hälsosam kost och förbättring i behandlingsstrategier. Fysisk inaktivitet är en av många riskfaktorer för kranskärlssjukdomar. Den är relaterade till livsstil som går att påverka.