Patient education needs as reported by congestive heart failure patients and their nurses.

Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) need considerable education to enable them to provide effective self-care for their chronic illness. No information has been published about the learning needs of this population. The purpose of this study was to examine hospitalized CHF patients and their nurses' perceptions regarding the importance and realism of typical patient education content.

The impact of the media on women with breast implants.

Because of the considerable attention given to breast implants by the media, these two surveys were conducted to evaluate how women with breast implants think and feel about the current issues. A telephone questionnaire was administered to 60 women prior to the Food and Drug Administration's moratorium and again following the advisory panel recommendation. The second survey revealed that most subjects felt the media information was accurate, a significant (p = 0.

Self-management of over-the-counter medications by older adults.

Older adults' use of over-the-counter (OTC) medications is usually a self-initiated behavior that may have important health consequences. A sample of 186 adults age 65 years and over was interviewed to describe their use of 16 OTC substances and their management of the most commonly used OTC medications. Subjects reported using almost twice as many OTC as prescription medications.

Cardiac rehabilitation program participation and outcomes after myocardial infarction.

Rehabilitation programs for myocardial infarction (MI) survivors are designed to alter survivors' self-care patterns and to improve long-term physical and psychological outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between participation in cardiac rehabilitation and health state; days of reduced activity; anxiety; depression; self-esteem; quality of life; and performance of exercise, diet, medication, stress-modification, and smoking-reduction self-care behaviors after MI. Interviews were conducted with 197 women and men 1 to 2 years after their initial MI to measure health state, mood, self-esteem, quality of life, and relevant self-care behaviors.

Medication management by recently hospitalized older adults.

Community-dwelling older adults often manage numerous prescriptive medications. The purpose of this study was to describe prescriptive medication management by older adults recently discharged from hospitals. The sample (N = 179) included adults, 65 to 101 years old, who managed a total of 950 prescriptive medications.

Anxiety, depression, quality of life, and self-care among survivors of myocardial infarction.

This article examines the relationship between anxiety, depression, quality of life, and performance of suggested self-care behaviors among older adult myocardial infarction survivors. Interviews were conducted with 94 adults aged 65 years and older. The Profile of Mood States was used to measure anxiety and depression.

Older adults: factors that predict the use of over-the-counter medication.

Previous research has found over-the-counter (OTC) medication use not easily predicted from physical symptom experience. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between older adults' use of OTC medications and mood, social, health and demographic variables. Interviews were conducted with 186 adults aged 65 to 99 years.

Myocardial infarction survivors: age and gender differences in physical health, psychosocial state and regimen adherence.

Little is known about women's and older adults' experiences after myocardial infarction (MI). The purpose of this study was to determine if gender and age differences exist in psychosocial condition, health state and therapeutic regimen adherence among MI survivors. Adults aged 40 to 88 years (n = 197) were interviewed 1 to 2 years after their first MI.

Self-care actions taken by older adults for influenza and colds.

The purpose of this study was to examine self-care behaviors that older adults use to manage cold and influenza episodes. Interviews were conducted with 160 adults aged 65 to 94. A large number and a variety of cold- and influenza-related self-care actions were reported.

Medication regimen complexity and adherence among older adults.

Two studies were conducted to examine the relationship between medication regimen complexity and adherence among older adults recently discharged from hospitals (N = 178) and those not recently hospitalized (N = 98). Medication regimen complexity was measured by the Medication Complexity Index (Kelley, 1988), which measures the number, frequency, and types of actions required to enact a medication regimen. Adherence to the regimen was measured by pill count and verbal self-report.

Joint self-care by older adults.

Self-care actions used for joint symptoms were studied among independently living older adults. Fifty-three of 100 older adults interviewed reported 65 joint problems. Medication use was the most common self-care action reported (56%), followed by heat application (23%), exercise (13%), and rest (10%).

Families' perceptions of burden of care for chronic mentally ill relatives.

Eighty-six family caregivers participated in small group interviews about their experience of burden in caring for mentally ill relatives. Families experienced profound burdens as a result of their interactions with the mental health care system, particularly in negotiating crisis situations; acting as patient advocates and case managers; obtaining adequate community resources, continuity of care, and information; dealing with legal barriers; and communicating with mental health professionals. Recommended methods of reducing family burden and improving the care of the mentally ill who reside in the community are family education, inclusion of the family in treatment decisions, changes in current mental health laws, redirection in professional training, and development of mobile crisis teams.

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and the 5' hypervariable region of the insulin gene in two South African Indian families.

The hypervariable region 5' to the human insulin gene has been characterised in two South African Indian families, each having two generations of individuals affected with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Southern blot analysis, with the restriction endonuclease Pvu II and plasmid phins 310 as a probe, was used. In family 1, class 1 alleles (0.