Research in nursing & health
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Relaxation and music reduce pain following intestinal surgery.
Three nonpharmacological nursing interventions, relaxation, chosen music, and their combination, were tested for pain relief following intestinal (INT) surgery in a randomized clinical trial. The 167 patients were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups or control and were tested during ambulation and rest on postoperative days 1 and 2. ⋯ Mixed effects after ambulation were due to the large variation in pain and difficulty relaxing while returning to bed; but post hoc explorations showed effects for those with high and low pain. These interventions are recommended along with analgesics for greater postoperative relief without additional side effects.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Efficacy of a smoking-cessation intervention for elective-surgical patients.
We tested an intervention to help smokers abstain (fast) from smoking before surgery, maintain abstinence postoperatively, and achieve long-term cessation. A randomized experiment included 237 patients admitted for presurgical assessment who smoked. ⋯ There was no significant difference in the abstinence rates at 12 months after surgery, chi(2)(1, N = 169) <.001, p = 1.00. Encouraging patients to fast from smoking before surgery and postoperative support are efficacious ways to reduce preoperative and immediate post-operative tobacco use.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Testing a preoperative pain management intervention for elders.
The investigators examined whether elders who have been taught pain management communication skills and pain management information obtain greater postoperative pain relief than elders not taught this information. Thirty-one elders were randomly assigned preoperatively to a control or communication group in this posttest-only experiment with repeated measures. Communication group participants were taught pain management, pain communication skills, and the use of two pain-intensity scales. ⋯ The communication group elders reported less postoperative pain over the course of their hospital stay. Pain management knowledge alone may have enabled the elders to obtain greater pain relief. Nurses may want to incorporate similar pain management information and pain communication skills when teaching elders how to obtain greater postoperative pain relief.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Improving cognitive development of low-birth-weight premature infants with the COPE program: a pilot study of the benefit of early NICU intervention with mothers.
The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a parent-focused intervention program (COPE) on infant cognitive development and maternal coping. A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 42 mothers of low-birth-weight (LBW) premature infants hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with follow-up at 3 months' and 6 months' corrected ages. COPE mothers received the four-phase educational-behavioral program that began 2-4 days postbirth and continued through 1 week following discharge from the NICU. ⋯ Results indicated that COPE infants had significantly higher mental development scores at a 3 months' corrected age (M = 100.3) than did the comparison infants (M = 93.9), and this difference widened at 6 months' corrected age, with COPE infants scoring 14 points higher. COPE mothers were significantly less stressed by the NICU sights and sounds and had significantly stronger beliefs about what behaviors and characteristics to expect from their premature infants. Findings from this study support the need for further testing of early NICU interventions with parents to determine their effectiveness on parental coping and infant developmental outcomes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Mediating functions of maternal anxiety and participation in care on young children's posthospital adjustment.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether maternal anxiety and mothers' participation in their children's care during hospitalization mediated the effects of a child behavior informational intervention for mothers on their children's posthospital negative behavioral change. Participants were 49 mothers and their young children, ages 24-68 months, who were unexpectedly hospitalized with unplanned medical or surgical conditions. ⋯ Findings indicated that the effects of child behavior information on children's posthospital negative behavioral change were mediated by maternal anxiety and participation in their children's care during hospitalization. Results of this study provide support for targeting mothers with informational interventions in order to enhance outcomes in hospitalized children.