Association Between a Family Caregiver's Relationship to Persons With Dementia and Cardiovascular Disease by Race and Ethnicity: A Secondary Analysis of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data.

Background: Caregiver stress is linked to key mechanisms for developing cardiovascular disease and the burden differs by caregiving relationship (eg, spouse). Furthermore, cardiovascular disease risk in family caregivers (FCGs) has been shown to differ by race and ethnicity. However, little is known about whether the association between caregiving relationship and FCGs' cardiovascular health differs by race and ethnicity.

Caregiving intensity and duration, cardiovascular disease, and race/ethnicity in family caregivers of persons with dementia.

We investigated if caregiving intensity and duration affected cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks and diagnosis and whether the relationship differed by race and ethnicity in family caregivers (FCGs) of persons with dementia. We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2015-2020 CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data using a logistic regression analysis. A total of 6132 dementia FCGs were included.

Assessing Racial and Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Disease in U.S. Family Caregivers of Persons With Dementia: Analysis of Data from the 2015-2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

The current study examined racial and ethnic differences in psychological, behavioral, and metabolic risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD conditions among family caregivers (FCGs) of persons with dementia. We used the 2015-2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. The sample included a total of 6,132 FCGs of persons with dementia.

Perceptions and Attitudes toward a Proposed Digital Health Physical Activity Program among Older Family Caregivers of Persons with Heart Failure: A Qualitative Study.

Tailored physical activity (PA) programs using digital health technologies in the home can promote family caregivers' (FCGs) physical function and psychological wellbeing. However, there is a gap in research for digital health PA interventions targeting older FCGs of persons with HF (HF-FCGs). The burden of caregiving for persons with HF may displace the FCG's self-care, including PA.

Heart Failure Family Caregivers' Perspectives of Physical Activity Engagement: A Qualitative Study.

Research on caregiver burden and related psychological distress has been widely studied. However, little research has focused on perspectives and experiences of older family caregivers of persons with heart failure on engaging in physical exercise to improve their health and wellness. We investigated barriers and facilitators influencing physical activity engagement for older family caregivers of persons with heart failure through a qualitative descriptive study design utilizing participant interviews.

Experiences of Older Family Care Partners of Persons With Heart Failure 1 Year After the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected the health and well-being of family care partners of older adults with heart failure (HF-FCPs). The purpose of the current study was to examine the caregiving experiences and coping strategies of older HF-FCPs during the ongoing pandemic. Qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with 13 HF-FCPs (aged ≥65 years) from January to April 2021.

Caregiving experiences of older family caregivers of persons with heart failure: A mixed methods study.

Older family caregivers of persons with heart failure (HF-FCGs) are an understudied and vulnerable population, who are at heightened risk for age-related physical and cognitive declines. We explored caregiving experiences of older HF-FCGs and examined levels of their caregiver burden, psychological distress, caregiving self-efficacy and quality of life (QoL) using descriptive mixed methods. We conducted telephone-based surveys and semi-structured interviews (N=13).

Use of Digital Health Technology for Seeking Health Information Among Older Family Caregivers.

There is little research on the relationship between digital health technology use and health services, self-efficacy, health status, and health information seeking behavior among older family caregivers. We conducted a secondary analysis of the US Health Information National Data and found that older family caregivers with a regular healthcare provider are more likely to use digital health technology, which increases their confidence in obtaining health information (β=0.075, z=2.

Effects of Physical Activity Programs on Health Outcomes of Family Caregivers of Older Adults with Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review was conducted to analyze and capture the most recent trends in physical activity interventions for family caregivers of older adults with chronic disease as found in randomized clinical trials over the last 10 years (2010-2020). We used PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycInfo, and the Cochrane Library. We synthesized participants' demographics, physical activity interventions and family caregivers' health outcomes.

Eliciting the educational needs and priorities of home care workers on end-of-life care for patients with heart failure using nominal group technique.

Background: Home care workers, as paid caregivers, assist with many aspects of home-based heart failure care. However, most home care workers do not receive systematic training on end-of-life care for heart failure patients.

Aim: To elicit the educational needs and priorities of home care workers caring for community- dwelling adults with heart failure at the end-of-life.

On Board: Interdisciplinary Team Member Perspectives of How Patients With Heart Failure and Their Families Navigate Hospice Care.

Hospice agencies serve an expanding population of patients with varying disease conditions and sociodemographic characteristics. Patients with heart failure represent a growing share of hospice deaths in the United States. However, limited research has explored the perspectives of hospice interdisciplinary team members regarding how patients with heart failure and their families navigate hospice care.

The Development and Implementation of a Cardiac Home Hospice Program: Results of a RE-AIM Analysis.

Background: Use of hospice has grown among patients with heart failure; however, gaps remain in the ability of agencies to tailor services to meet their needs.

Aim: This study describes the implementation of a cardiac home hospice program and insights for dissemination to other hospice programs.

Design: We conducted a multimethod analysis structured around the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework.

Building trust and facilitating goals of care conversations: A qualitative study in people with heart failure receiving home hospice care.

Background: Despite a majority of persons receiving hospice care in their homes, there are gaps in understanding how to facilitate goals of care conversations between persons with heart failure and healthcare providers.

Aim: To identify barriers and facilitators which shape goals of care conversations for persons with heart failure in the context of home hospice.

Design: A qualitative descriptive study design was used with semi-structured interviews.

Older Adults Can Successfully Monitor Symptoms Using an Inclusively Designed Mobile Application.

Objectives: Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures can monitor patients with chronic illnesses outside of healthcare settings. Unfortunately, few applications that collect electronic PROMIS measures are designed using inclusive design principles that ensure wide accessibility and usability, thus limiting use by older adults with chronic illnesses. Our aim was to establish the feasibility of using an inclusively designed mobile application tailored to older adults to report PROMIS measures by examining (1) PROMIS scores collected with the application, (2) patient-reported usability of the application, and (3) differences in usability by age.

Factors Related to Biological Sex Differences in Engagement with Healthcare Providers in Persons Living with HIV.

Little is known about how engagement with healthcare providers mediates the relationship between psychosocial factors (anxiety, depression, stigma) and medication adherence among persons living with HIV (PLWH). Moreover, little research has investigated potential biological sex differences in this relationship. We conducted a secondary analysis of data collected from four projects (N = 281) focused on improving health outcomes in PLWH.

Visual analogies, not graphs, increase patients' comprehension of changes in their health status.

Objectives: Patients increasingly use patient-reported outcomes (PROs) to self-monitor their health status. Visualizing PROs longitudinally (over time) could help patients interpret and contextualize their PROs. The study sought to assess hospitalized patients' objective comprehension (primary outcome) of text-only, non-graph, and graph visualizations that display longitudinal PROs.

Informal Caregiver Decision-Making Factors Associated With Technology Adoption and Use in Home Healthcare: A Systematic Scoping Review.

Technology systems to alleviate the burden of caregiving are increasing in use. The home is a unique place where chronic disease management is often performed by informal caregivers, yet how caregivers make decisions about adopting a specific technology has not been thoroughly explored. This systematic scoping review mapped evidence on decision-making factors associated with technology adoption and use by caregivers of patients receiving care at home.

A Systematic Review of Patient-Facing Visualizations of Personal Health Data.

Objectives: As personal health data are being returned to patients with increasing frequency and volume, visualizations are garnering excitement for their potential to facilitate patient interpretation. Evaluating these visualizations is important to ensure that patients are able to understand and, when appropriate, act upon health data in a safe and effective manner. The objective of this systematic review was to review and evaluate the state of the science of patient-facing visualizations of personal health data.

Factors Associated With Live Discharge of Heart Failure Patients From Hospice: A Multimethod Study.

Objectives: This study identified sociodemographic and clinical factors that predicted live discharge among home hospice patients with heart failure, and related these findings to perspectives among health care providers about challenges to caring for these patients.

Background: Hospice patients with heart failure are frequently discharged from hospice before death ("live discharge"). However, little is known about the factors and circumstances associated with live discharge among patients with heart failure.

Use of the Palliative Performance Scale to estimate survival among home hospice patients with heart failure.

Aims: Estimating survival is challenging in the terminal phase of advanced heart failure. Patients, families, and health-care organizations would benefit from more reliable prognostic tools. The Palliative Performance Scale Version 2 (PPSv2) is a reliable and validated tool used to measure functional performance; higher scores indicate higher functionality.

Measuring health status and symptom burden using a web-based mHealth application in patients with heart failure.

Background: Symptoms of heart failure markedly impair a patient's health status. The aim of this study was to identify predictors of health status in a sample of racially and ethnically diverse patients with heart failure using a web-based mobile health application, mi.Symptoms.

A Multi-step Usability Evaluation of a Self-Management App to Support Medication Adherence in Persons Living with HIV.

Purpose: Adherence to antiretroviral therapy is essential to HIV management and sustaining viral suppression. Despite simplified regimens, adherence remains difficult for certain persons living with HIV (PLWH). There is evidence to support the use of mHealth apps for effective self-management in PLWH; however, a medication adherence app with real-time monitoring for this population has not been developed and rigorously evaluated by PLWH.

Purposeful interprofessional team intervention improves relational coordination among advanced heart failure care teams.

Effective delivery of healthcare is highly interdependent within and between interprofessional (IP) care teams and the patients they serve. This is particularly true for complex health conditions such as advanced heart failure (AHF). Our Academic Practice Partnership received funding to carry out IP workforce development with inpatient AHF care teams.