Conectar
En este relato biográfico se aborda la experiencia de un paciente sometido a cistoprostatectomía radical por un cáncer vesical invasivo. El objetivo es conocer la vivencia personal tras sufrir esta intervención y los cambios derivados a nivel laboral, social, familiar e individual. Se ha llevado a cabo un abordaje cualitativo basado en una entrevista en profundidad para analizar dicha experiencia. El informante aporta información sobre su vivencia y su relación con el sistema sanitario. Se analiza esta experiencia desde el momento del diagnóstico de la enfermedad hasta la actualidad. Se aprecia una gran repercusión personal con un fuerte deseo de superación, recuperación de la autonomía y alcance del autocuidado. Se observa una actitud crítica con algunos aspectos de la atención sanitaria a nivel sistémico más que individual. En todo momento se constata una perspectiva positiva de todo el proceso terapéutico y de recuperación, con la meta de la reintegración plena.
The purpose of this study was to identify coping strategies, resources, and strengths that predict well-being in a community-based sample of youth with varying levels of adversity.
Grounded in the resilience portfolio model, we used a mixed methods approach with data from a cross-sectional sample of 231 youth ages 8–17.
Data were collected using a survey, participant-generated timeline activity, and brief interview. Measures included assessments of coping and appraisal, resilience resources and assets, and subjective well-being and depression.
Active and passive coping strategies predicted subjective well-being and depression. Controlling for demographics and coping, meaning making strengths and supportive relationships were significant predictors of subjective well-being and lower depression, and decreased the impact of adversity on these outcomes.
The results of this study provide support for the resilience portfolio model in a community-based sample of youth, with relationships as predicted for subjective well-being and symptoms of depression. For both outcomes, family relationships held the strongest associations with positive well-being and lower symptoms of depression. Supportive relationships with peers, meaning making strengths, interpersonal strengths, less passive coping, and fewer adverse life events were also associated with better outcomes.
These findings underscore the need to assess youth resources and strengths and to design interventions that target these protective factors for all youth, regardless of exposure to adversity.
A theory-informed understanding of resources and strengths that predict youth well-being is essential to inform strengths-based interventions for pediatric research and practice. The resilience portfolio model is a useful framework for understanding predictors of youth well-being.
Background
Morning and evening fatigue are distinct and distressing symptoms experienced during chemotherapy that demonstrate a large amount of interindividual variability.
Objectives
The objectives of this study were to identify subgroups of patients with distinct morning and evening fatigue co-occurrence profiles and evaluate for differences among these subgroups in demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics and quality of life.
Methods
Oncology patients (n = 1,334) completed the Lee Fatigue Scale to self-report morning and evening fatigue, six times over two cycles of chemotherapy. Latent profile analysis was used to identify subgroups of patients with distinct morning and evening physical fatigue profiles.
Results
Four distinct morning and evening fatigue profiles were identified (i.e., Both Low, Low Morning + Moderate Evening, Both Moderate, and Both High). Compared to the Both Low profile, the Both High profile was significantly younger, less likely to be married or partnered, more likely to live alone, had a higher comorbidity burden, and lower functional status. The Both High profile had higher levels of anxiety, depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance, and pain and lower levels of quality of life.
Discussion
The variability in the morning and evening severity scores among the four profiles supports the hypothesis that morning and evening fatigue are distinct but related symptoms. Clinically meaningful levels of both morning and evening fatigue were reported by 50.4% of our sample, which suggests that the co-occurrence of these two symptoms is relatively common. Patients in Both Moderate and Both High profiles experienced an extremely high symptom burden that warrants ongoing assessments and aggressive symptom management interventions. Background
Up to 45% of patients report cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). A variety of characteristics are associated with the occurrence and/or severity of CRCI. However, an important gap in knowledge of risk factors for CRCI is the relative contribution of each factor. The multifactorial model of cancer-related cognitive impairment (MMCRCI) is a conceptual model of CRCI that can be used to evaluate the strength of relationships between various factors and CRCI.
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to use structural regression methods to evaluate the MMCRCI using data from a large sample of outpatients receiving chemotherapy (n = 1,343). Specifically, the relationships between self-reported CRCI and four MMCRCI concepts (i.e., social determinants of health, patient-specific factors, treatment factors, and co-occurring symptoms) were examined. The goals were to determine how well the four concepts predicted CRCI and determine the relative contribution of each concept to deficits in perceived cognitive function.
Methods
This study is part of a larger, longitudinal study that evaluated the symptom experience of oncology outpatients receiving chemotherapy. Adult patients were diagnosed with breast, gastrointestinal, gynecological, or lung cancer; had received chemotherapy within the preceding 4 weeks; were scheduled to receive at least two additional cycles of chemotherapy; were able to read, write, and understand English; and gave written informed consent. Self-reported CRCI was assessed using the attentional function index. Available study data were used to define the latent variables.
Results
On average, patients were 57 years of age, college educated, and with a mean Karnofsky Performance Status score of 80. Of the four concepts evaluated, whereas co-occurring symptoms explained the largest amount of variance in CRCI, treatment factors explained the smallest amount of variance. A simultaneous structural regression model that estimated the joint effect of the four exogenous latent variables on the CRCI latent variable was not significant.
Discussion
These findings suggest that testing individual components of the MMCRCI may provide useful information on the relationships among various risk factors, as well as refinements of the model. In terms of risk factors for CRCI, co-occurring symptoms may be more significant than treatment factors, patient-specific factors, and/or social determinants of health in patients receiving chemotherapy. Background
Engagement with self-monitoring of blood pressure (BP) declines, on average, over time but may vary substantially by individual.
Objectives
We aimed to describe different 1-year patterns (groups) of self-monitoring of BP behaviors, identify predictors of those groups, and examine the association of self-monitoring of BP groups with BP levels over time.
Methods
We analyzed device-recorded BP measurements collected by the Health eHeart Study—an ongoing prospective eCohort study—from participants with a wireless consumer-purchased device that transmitted date- and time-stamped BP data to the study through a full 12 months of observation starting from the first day they used the device. Participants received no instruction on device use. We applied clustering analysis to identify 1-year self-monitoring, of BP patterns.
Results
Participants had a mean age of 52 years and were male and White. Using clustering algorithms, we found that a model with three groups fit the data well: persistent daily use (9.1% of participants), persistent weekly use (21.2%), and sporadic use only (69.7%). Persistent daily use was more common among older participants who had higher Week 1 self-monitoring of BP frequency and was associated with lower BP levels than the persistent weekly use or sporadic use groups throughout the year.
Conclusion
We identified three distinct self-monitoring of BP groups, with nearly 10% sustaining a daily use pattern associated with lower BP levels. To create a programme theory of family engagement in paediatric acute care to explicate the relationships between contexts and mechanisms of family engagement that align with family, direct care providers and healthcare organization outcomes.
Realist review and synthesis.
PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science searches for the 2.5-year period (July 2019–December 2021) following our 2021 scoping review.
Following methods described by Pawson and Rycroft-Malone, we defined the scope of the review, searched for and appraised the evidence, extracted and synthesized study findings and developed a supporting narrative of our results.
Of 316 initial citations, 101 were included in our synthesis of the final programme theory. Contexts included family and direct care provider individualism, and the organizational care philosophy and environment. Mechanisms were family presence, family enactment of a role in the child's care, direct care providers facilitating a family role in the child's care, unit/organizational promotion of a family role, relationship building and mutually beneficial partnerships. Outcomes were largely family-focussed, with a paucity of organizational outcomes studied. We identified four context–mechanism–outcome configurations.
This realist review uncovered underlying contexts and mechanisms between patients, direct care providers and organizations in the family engagement process and key components of a mutually beneficial partnership. Given that successful family engagement requires direct care provider and organizational support, future research should expand beyond family outcomes to include direct care providers, particularly nurses and healthcare organization outcomes.
The final programme theory of family engagement in paediatric acute care provides a roadmap for clinicians to develop complex interventions to engage families and evaluate their impact. The components of our final programme theory reflect family engagement concepts that have been evolving for decades.
The team conducting this review included members from the practice setting (JT & KG). In the future, as we and others use this model in practice, we will seek input for refinement from clinicians, patients and caregivers.
It is common for community-based healthcare providers (CHPs)—many of whom have not received specialised training in wound care—to deliver initial and ongoing management for various wound types and diverse populations. Wounds in any setting can rapidly transition to a stalled, hard-to-heal wound (HTHW) that is not following a normal healing trajectory. Failure to recognise or address issues that cause delayed healing can lead to increased costs, healthcare utilisation and suffering. To encourage early intervention by CHPs, a panel of wound care experts developed actionable evidence-based recommendations for CHPs delineating characteristics and appropriate care in identifying and treating HTHWs. A HTHW is a wound that fails to progress towards healing with standard therapy in an orderly and timely manner and should be referred to a qualified wound care provider (QWCP) for advanced assessment and diagnosis if not healed or reduced in size by 40%–50% within 4 weeks. HTHWs occur in patients with multiple comorbidities, and display increases in exudate, infection, devitalised tissue, maceration or pain, or no change in wound size. CHPs can play an important initial role by seeing the individual's HTHW risk, addressing local infection and providing an optimal wound environment. An easy-to-follow one-page table was developed for the CHP to systematically identify, evaluate and treat HTHWs, incorporating a basic toolkit with items easily obtainable in common office/clinic practice settings. A flow chart using visual HTHW clinical cues is also presented to address CHPs with different learning styles. These tools encourage delivery of appropriate early interventions that can improve overall healthcare efficiency and cost.
Nurses often forgo needed mental healthcare due to stigma and fear of losing their license. The decision to access care or disclose mental health struggles is intensified when registered nurses (RNs) or advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) discover that licensure applications ask invasive mental health questions that could impact their ability to work.
This study highlights findings from an audit of mental health and substance use questions included in RN and APRN licensure applications across the United States.
A sequential 4-step approach was used to retrieve RN and APRN licensure applications: (1) review of Board of Nursing (BON) websites, (2) communication with BON staff, (3) communication with Deans of Nursing to ask for retrieval assistance, and (4) creation of mock applicants. An embedded checklist within the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation's Remove Intrusive Mental Health Questions from Licensure and Credentialing Applications Toolkit guided the audit. Two study team members reviewed the applications independently for intrusive mental health questions, which were designated as non-compliant with the Toolkit's recommendations and arbitrated for consensus. States were designated as non-compliant if ≥1 item on the checklist was violated.
At least one RN and APRN application was obtained from 42 states. Only RN applications were obtained from five states, while only APRN applications were obtained from three states. Only 13 states (26%) fully adhered to the Took-Kit checklist.
The majority of BONs did not fully adhere to the Took-Kit checklist. Guidance from national organizations and legislation from state governments concerning the removal or revision of probing mental health and substance use questions is urgently needed to cultivate a stigma-reducing environment where nurses are supported in seeking needed mental health treatment.
Commentary on: Shields GE, Rowlandson A, Dalal G, Nickerson S, Cranmer H, Capobianco L, Doherty P. Cost-effectiveness of home-based cardiac rehabilitation: a systematic review. Heart. 2023 Feb 27:heartjnl-2021-320459. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2021-320459. Epub ahead of print.
Home-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a cost-effective alternative/supplementary model to increase CR accessibility, improve health benefits and reduce health service use. More robust clinical trials are needed as the heterogeneity in design, particularly the intervention dosage, staffing models, telehealth features, hybrid approach and individual costs, challenges the evidence base. The psychological care component is missing in the current cost-effectiveness analysis of home-based CR.
Despite evidence that exercise-based cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) is an effective intervention, patient uptake and adherence are uncertain. Recent research suggests that home-based CR interventions are as effective and safe as those supervised in a centre.
Commentary on: TEAM Study Investigators and the ANZICS Clinical Trials Group; Hodgson CL, Bailey M, Bellomo R, Brickell K, Broadley T, Buhr H, Gabbe BJ, Gould DW, Harrold M, Higgins AM, Hurford S, Iwashyna TJ, Serpa Neto A, Nichol AD, Presneill JJ, Schaller SJ, Sivasuthan J, Tipping CJ, Webb S, Young PJ. Early active mobilization during mechanical ventilation in the ICU. N Engl J Med 2022;387(19):1747–58. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2209083. Epub 26 Oct 2022.
Early mobilisation may improve patient outcomes; however, starting with a higher dosage at the early stage of critical illness may not provide any added benefit. Future research should explore the intensity, timing, duration and level of activity required to optimise physical rehabilitation of critically ill patients.
Early mobilisation (EM) refers to the practice of initiating physical activity that is of sufficient intensity to elicit acute physiological effects...
Commentary on: Poncin W, Baudet L, Braem F, Reychler G, Duprez F, Liistro G, Belkhir L, Yombi JC, De Greef J. Systems on top of nasal cannula improve oxygen delivery in patients with COVID-19: a randomized controlled trial. J Gen Intern Med 2022;37(5):1226–32. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07419-2. Epub 8 Feb 2022.
The adverse consequences of continuous exposure to high concentrations of oxygen must be considered before instituting prolonged oxygen therapy in patients with COVID-19. Hypoxaemia is significant in patients with COVID-19, and isolated arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) improvement may not necessarily translate into any significant survival benefit nor relieve the distress of breathlessness.
Oxygen therapy is important in COVID-19 management. The low-flow nasal cannula (NC) has some drawbacks. The patient’s peak inspiratory flow rate requirements are not met due to significant leakage around the source. A need to improve oxygen...
This edition of the Evidence Based Nursing (EBN) resources page is focused on further information to support the editorial by Alison Twycross and Jane Wray ‘NHS (National Health Service (NHS) England Long-term Workforce Plan: Can this deliver the workforce transformation so urgently needed or is it just more rhetoric?’
EBN has published a number of commentaries that provide useful additional information relating to the UK NHS workforce.
Supporting positive workplace cultures focused on staff well-being is discussed in;
Commentary on: Gros-Navés S, Contreras-Higuera W, Canet-Vélez O, Torralbas-Ortega J, Taló M, Roca J. The effect of writing a bachelor thesis on attitudes towards nursing research and development: A cross-sectional comparative study between students and professionals. Nurse Educ Today. 2022 Nov;118:105 532. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105532. Epub 2022 Aug 31.
Promoting research development early in nursing education improves perceptions and use of research findings among practising nurses. Future research is essential to identify strategies that contribute to developing clinical inquiry skills leading to optimal patient outcomes.
Research is essential for nursing practice and must be duly enhanced during university training. There is considerable evidence linking research and evidence-based practice to improved nursing practice.
This is a summary of See et al. Newly registered nurses experience high levels of emotional exhaustion, stress and burnout, with high attrition rates in the first-year post-qualification. The purpose of this review was to consolidate the available evidence on the experiences of newly registered nurses transitioning from the role of student nurse to that of registered nurse.
Thirty-one studies were included in the review, comprising thirty qualitative and one mixed-method study. A total of 452 newly registered nurses were enrolled across the studies from Australia, Canada, Singapore, England, Nepal, Netherlands, Pakistan and Taiwan. Four themes were identified: knowledge deficit, overwhelming clinical practice, importance of workplace support and the meaning of ‘being a nurse’. Twenty-four studies discussed how newly graduated registered nurses experienced anxiety,...
Commentary on: Roland D, Gardiner A, Razzaq D, Rose K, Bressan S, Honeyford K, Buonsenso D, Da Dalt L, De T, Farrugia R, Parri N, Oostenbrink R, Maconochie IK, Bognar Z, Moll HA, Titomanlio L, Nijman RGG; in association with the REPEM network (Research in European Paediatric Emergency Medicine) as part of the EPISODES Study. Influence of epidemics and pandemics on paediatric ED use: a systematic review. Arch Dis Child. 2023 Feb;108(2):115–122. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2022-324108. Epub 2022 Sep 26.
Healthsystems must be prepared for paediatric emergency department (ED) volume shifts during epidemics and pandemics. Two interventions to increase efficient paediatric ED use include: (1) parental education about home care and (2) real-time remote advice.
Epidemics and pandemics have major impacts on ED care. Studies examining the COVID-19 pandemic noted large early US ED visit declines.
The long-awaited NHS England workforce plan
The first comprehensive workforce plan for the NHS, putting staffing on a sustainable footing and improving patient care. It focuses on retaining existing talent and making the best use of new technology alongside the biggest recruitment drive in health service history.
This is a laudable aim, but can this ambitious plan really deliver the actions needed to transform the long-term future of this critical workforce?
Workforce planning is crucial to the success of the National Health Service (NHS) and has been notable by its absence in recent decades. The publication of this plan could be seen as a step in the right direction. Workforce planning requires
Data analysis of the current workforce and...
by Lilah M. Besser, Stephanie Chrisphonte, Michael J. Kleiman, Deirdre O’Shea, Amie Rosenfeld, Magdalena Tolea, James E. Galvin
BackgroundThe Health Brain Initiative (HBI), established by University of Miami’s Comprehensive Center for Brain Health (CCBH), follows racially/ethnically diverse older adults without dementia living in South Florida. With dementia prevention and brain health promotion as an overarching goal, HBI will advance scientific knowledge by developing novel assessments and non-invasive biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), examining additive effects of sociodemographic, lifestyle, neurological and biobehavioral measures, and employing innovative, methodologically advanced modeling methods to characterize ADRD risk and resilience factors and transition of brain aging.
MethodsHBI is a longitudinal, observational cohort study that will follow 500 deeply-phenotyped participants annually to collect, analyze, and store clinical, cognitive, behavioral, functional, genetic, and neuroimaging data and biospecimens. Participants are ≥50 years old; have no, subjective, or mild cognitive impairment; have a study partner; and are eligible to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Recruitment is community-based including advertisements, word-of-mouth, community events, and physician referrals. At baseline, following informed consent, participants complete detailed web-based surveys (e.g., demographics, health history, risk and resilience factors), followed by two half-day visits which include neurological exams, cognitive and functional assessments, an overnight sleep study, and biospecimen collection. Structural and functional MRI is completed by all participants and a subset also consent to amyloid PET imaging. Annual follow-up visits repeat the same data and biospecimen collection as baseline, except that MRIs are conducted every other year after baseline.
Ethics and expected impactHBI has been approved by the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Institutional Review Board. Participants provide informed consent at baseline and are re-consented as needed with protocol changes. Data collected by HBI will lead to breakthroughs in developing new diagnostics and therapeutics, creating comprehensive diagnostic evaluations, and providing the evidence base for precision medicine approaches to dementia prevention with individualized treatment plans.
To explain the process taken by Chinese family care partners of older adults in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, to access health and social services in their communities. The research question was: What mechanisms and structures impact the agency of Chinese family care partners of older adults, in the process of assisting them to access health and social services?
This qualitative study was informed by critical realism.
Chinese family care partners of older adults in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, were interviewed from August 2020 to June 2021. Transcripts underwent thematic analysis.
Twenty-eight Chinese family care partners expressed a firm commitment to maintain caregiving conditions and to judiciously access health and social services. Their commitment was made up of three parts: (a) legislative and cultural norms of family, work, and society; (b) their perseverance to fill gaps with limited social and financial resources; (c) the quality of their relationship to, and illness trajectory of the older adults. The social structures created tension in how Chinese family care partners made decisions, negotiated resources, and ultimately monitored and coordinated timely access with older adults.
Participants' commitment and perseverance were conceptualized as “grit,” central to their agency to conform to legislative and cultural norms. Moreover, findings support grit's power to motivate and sustain family caregiving, in order for older adults to age in place as long as possible with finite resources.
This study highlights the importance of cultural awareness education for nurses, enabling continuity of care at a systems level and for a more resilient healthcare system.
Family care partners' grit may be crucial for nurses to harness when together, they face limited access to culturally appropriate health and social services in a system grounded in values of equity and inclusion, as in Canada.
When writing this manuscript, we adhered to relevant EQUATOR guidelines of the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ).
No patient or public involvement.
FreshRSS 