The Journal of cardiovascular nursing
-
The aim of this small-scale study was to explore the use of cluster analysis to identify subgroups of heart failure patients whose patterns of symptoms may help guide clinical management. The empirically derived clusters were compared on (1) demographics, (2) clinical characteristics, and (3) subscales of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire. ⋯ Of 139 respondents, 33 (24%) were female and 106 (76%) were male. The mean (SD) age was 70.6 (9.7) years, and all were white, except for a single African American female. Most subjects were married (84%) with a median level of high school education, and 5% were New York Heart Association classification I, 38% class II, 52% class III, and 5% class IV. Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to derive a 3-cluster solution based on the presence or absence of 14 symptoms. Cluster 1 patients had significantly lower incidence of symptoms and were more likely to be New York Heart Association class I or class II, with lower body mass index and higher education levels compared with patients in the other clusters. Both clusters 2 and 3 were more symptomatic than cluster 1. Compared with cluster 3, patients in cluster 2 reported more shortness of breath under circumstances other than activity, and the majority reported difficulty sleeping. They also tended to report greater symptom severity and impact on physical activity and enjoyment of life. Additional differences included comorbidities and percentage of subjects on angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. Examination of the clusters suggested clinical implications related to pharmacological management and raised questions concerning potential influences of duration of the heart failure condition, presence of sleep-disordered breathing, and impact of educational level on self-management behavior and symptom patterns.
-
Post-acute care (PAC) is available for older adults who need additional services after hospitalization for acute cardiac events. With the aging population and an increase in the prevalence of cardiac disease, it is important to determine current PAC use for cardiac patients to assist health care workers to meet the needs of older cardiac patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the current PAC use and factors associated with PAC use for older adults following hospitalization for a cardiac event that includes coronary artery bypass graft and valve surgeries, myocardial infarction (MI), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and heart failure (HF). ⋯ The current rate of PAC use indicates that almost half of nondisabled Medicare patients discharged from the hospital following a cardiac event use one of these services. Health care professionals can increase PAC use for Asians, Hispanics, and Native Americans by including culturally targeted communication. Optimizing recovery for cardiac patients who use PAC may require focused cardiac rehabilitation strategies.
-
Patients with chronic heart failure (HF) have cognitive deficits in memory, psychomotor speed, and executive function and poor health-related quality of life (HRQL), but the association between cognitive deficits and HRQL is unknown. ⋯ Novel interventions targeted at improving HRQL continue to be urgently needed, particularly among younger patients and patients with depressive symptoms. Measures of HRQL are not sufficient as outcomes when investigating cognitive deficits in HF. Investigators need to include outcome measures of patients' actual abilities to perform daily activities and HF self-care.
-
Medication adherence is low among hypertensive patients regardless of ethnic background. However, the prevalence of nonadherence is higher among African Americans when compared with their white American counterparts. Recognizing African American perspectives about their adherence to antihypertensive medications is necessary for the development of successful interventions aimed at improving adherence to prescribed regimens. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore community-dwelling hypertensive African American behavioral, normative, and control beliefs regarding their adherence to antihypertensive medications. ⋯ Behavioral beliefs associated with medication adherence identified both positive and negative outcomes. Family, friends, neighbors, and God were associated with normative beliefs. Limited financial resources, neighborhood violence, and distrust of healthcare professionals were key control beliefs. Although these results cannot be generalized, they do provide significant insight into the contextual factors associated with the lives of community-dwelling hypertensive African Americans who fit a similar demographic profile. These findings are important because they can be used to tailor interventions to increase their medication adherence.
-
Individuals with coronary artery disease undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery to relieve symptoms, improve quality of life, and reduce early death. Pain is the most prevalent symptom identified by persons after CABG surgery. The objective of the study was to compare the prevalence and severity of pain and pain-related interference with activities in men and women 9 weeks after CABG surgery. ⋯ Forty-seven percent of the women (n = 8) had moderate to severe pain described as the "worst pain in previous 24 hours with movement" 9 weeks following discharge from CABG surgery. More women were divorced, widowed, or single (P = .0002). There was a statistically significant between-groups difference, with more women reporting moderate to severe pain with movement (P = .03), as well as greater interference with walking (P = .01) and sleeping (P = .01) due to pain. Further research with larger sample sizes should investigate what conditions lead to the sex differences in the pain experience after CABG surgery, what mechanisms and support structures underlie these differences, and how these differences can inform the clinical management of pain.