Correlation of health literacy and learning style preference in persons with heart failure.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to describe demographic and health literacy correlates of learning style in older adults with heart failure (HF).

Methods: Cross sectional data on learning styles (VARK Questionnaire, 16 items) and health literacy (S-TOFHLA, 36 items) were collected. Preferred learning style was determined and correlated to health literacy and demographic measures.

American Association of Heart failure nurses' knowledge, barriers and facilitators in conducting research.

Background: To provide high-quality patient care, heart failure (HF) nurses must comprehend/use best evidence; however, HF nurses' ability to do so are unknown.

Objectives: To describe HF nurses' research interest/involvement, confidence, facilitators/motivators, and barriers to lead/collaborate in research studies.

Methods: A descriptive design with convenience sampling and online data collection (Qualtrics) were used with American Association of HF Nurses members.

Oral Chemotherapy Laboratory Monitoring and Follow-Up: A Review of the Literature.

Background: There are many inefficiencies related to oral chemotherapy (OC) laboratory monitoring and follow-up in the ambulatory clinic setting. Patients with cancer prescribed OC have a higher risk of adverse events when there is inconsistent laboratory test result reporting and follow-up from their oncology provider.

Objectives: The aim of this article is to improve OC laboratory monitoring by identifying potential barriers and opportunities for reliable communication between patients and providers in the outpatient clinical setting.

Who Advances Nursing Science in Practice Settings and How?

Nurse scientist (NS) roles in clinical practice settings are key components of The Future of Nursing and ANCC Magnet® recognition. Despite increased opportunities for NS roles, leveraging these roles to advance nursing science remains at an early stage. We describe opportunities and challenges for NSs in clinical practice settings, highlighting the value of a strong partnership with chief nurse officers as critical for the success of NSs and outcomes associated with these roles.

Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurse Spirituality, Stress, Coping, Spiritual Well-being, and Intent to Leave: A Mixed-method Study.

Intense emotional demands of oncology nursing create a stressful work environment and increase the likelihood of leaving. The study aims to explore, describe, and understand how pediatric hematology/oncology nurses caring for chronically ill or dying patients use their spirituality to cope with job stress, maintain spiritual well-being (SWB), and continue to work in this specialty. A concurrent mixed-method research design consisted of a web-based survey and interview.

Executive dysfunction is associated with self-care confidence in patients with heart failure.

Aim: To explore differences in self-care maintenance, management and confidence levels between American heart failure (HF) patients with and without executive dysfunction.

Background: Evidence indicates some aspect of cognitive impairment is prevalent in up to 75% of the HF patient population. Moreover, cognitive impairment has been identified as a barrier to adequate self-care contributing to poor outcomes.

Clinical Nurse Specialist Roles in Conducting Research: Changes Over 3 Years.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to describe clinical nurse specialists' characteristics, interest, confidence, motivators, and barriers in conducting research.

Design: This study was a descriptive, multicohort design.

Methods: Clinical nurse specialists were recruited electronically through national and local organizations to complete anonymous surveys 3 times, over 3 years.

Nursing journal clubs and the clinical nurse specialist.

Purpose/objectives: The purpose of this article was to describe the clinical nurse specialist's role in developing and implementing a journal club. Tools for critiquing clinical and research articles with an application of each are provided.

Background: The journal club provides a forum through which nurses maintain their knowledge base about clinically relevant topics and developments in their specific clinical discipline, analyze and synthesize the relevant scientific literature as evidence, and engage in informal discussions about evidence-based and best practices.

How can health literacy influence outcomes in heart failure patients? Mechanisms and interventions.

Health literacy is discussed in papers from 25 countries where findings suggest that approximately a third up to one half of the people in developed countries have low health literacy. Specifically, health literacy is the mechanism by which individuals obtain and use health information to make health decisions about individual treatments in the home, access care in the community, promote provider-patient interactions, structure self-care, and navigate health care programs both locally and nationally. Further, health literacy is a key determinant of health and a critical dimension for assessing individuals' needs, and, importantly, their capacity for self-care.

Effect of early nutritional support on intensive care unit length of stay and neurological status at discharge in children with severe traumatic brain injury.

Pediatric severe traumatic brain injury treatment guidelines for nutrition indicate that "there are insufficient data to support a treatment guideline for this topic" (P. D. Adelson et al.

Comparison of prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and hostility in elderly patients with heart failure, myocardial infarction, and a coronary artery bypass graft.

Objective: This study sought to compare the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and hostility among 3 clinically diverse elderly cardiac patient cohorts and a reference group of healthy elders.

Methods: This was a multicenter, comparative study. A total of 1167 individuals participated: 260 healthy elders, and 907 elderly cardiac patients who were at least 3 months past a hospitalization (478 heart-failure patients, 298 postmyocardial infarction patients, and 131 postcoronary artery bypass graft patients).

Correlates of fatigue in patients with heart failure.

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of fatigue and identify its demographic, clinical, and psychological correlates in 150 heart failure (HF) patients (73% men, 66% Caucasian, mean age 55.0 years, mean ejection fraction 26.7%+/-11%), from a single HF center, using the Profile of Mood States-Fatigue Subscale, the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory.

Ethnic differences in quality of life in persons with heart failure.

Background: Chronic illness burdens some groups more than others. In studies of ethnic/racial groups with chronic illness, some investigators have found differences in health-related quality of life (HRQL), whereas others have not. Few such comparisons have been performed in persons with heart failure.

Evaluation of a Web-based education and counseling pilot program for older heart failure patients.

Web-based communication has been reported as a feasible management tool for heart failure (HF) patients and has also been documented to positively impact quality of life (QOL). The feasibility and effectiveness of a Web-based educational and HF management program among older HF patients (60 years and older), however, have not been previously explored. Therefore, a prospective study was conducted.

Developing a Web-based education and counseling program for heart failure patients.

This paper describes a 2-phase method utilized to develop and evaluate the feasibility of a Web-based program targeted to the specific learning needs of elderly patients with heart failure. In the first phase, informational resources specific to the needs of elderly patients were identified using aspects of participant-focused research. Data from 69 patients were obtained through a structured interview and later reviewed with health care providers and patient representatives.

Impact of obesity on quality of life and depression in patients with heart failure.

Background: The effect of obesity on health related quality of life (HRQOL) and depression in a number of disease states is well documented, but its impact in heart failure (HF) patients remains speculative. We therefore examined the relationship between obesity, HRQOL, and depression in 358 patients with HF.

Methods And Results: Comparative analyses were conducted to determine if body mass index (BMI) was associated with HRQOL and depression in three groups of patients with HF-normal weight (BMI 18.