Psychometrics of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Adapted for Family Caregiver/Significant Other.

Background And Purpose: The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) was adapted to be administered to the family caregiver/significant other (FC/SO) of hospitalized patients with heart failure (HF). The objective was to examine the psychometrics of the adapted scale (KCCQ-SO).

Methods: Factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and correlations were used.

An Exploration of Gene-Gene Interactions and Their Effects on Hypertension.

Hypertension tends to perpetuate in families and the heritability of hypertension is estimated to be around 20-60%. So far, the main proportion of this heritability has not been found by single-locus genome-wide association studies. Therefore, the current study explored gene-gene interactions that have the potential to partially fill in the missing heritability.

Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Administered to Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure.

Background And Purpose: The psychometric properties of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) have been examined primarily in community-dwelling patients with heart failure (HF). The objective of this research was to examine the properties of the KCCQ administered to patients hospitalized with HF (N = 233).

Methods: Confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach's alphas, and correlations were performed to examine the scale's dimensions, reliability, and validity.

Multi-joint foot kinetics during walking in people with Diabetes Mellitus and peripheral neuropathy.

Neuropathic tissue changes can alter muscle function and are a primary reason for foot pathologies in people with Diabetes Mellitus and peripheral neuropathy (DMPN). Understanding of foot kinetics in people with DMPN is derived from single-segment foot modeling approaches. This approach, however, does not provide insight into midfoot power and work.

Leisure Activity Enjoyment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Enjoyment is a fundamental component of activity participation. This study compared leisure activity enjoyment experienced by typically developing children (TD; n = 64) and those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; n = 67) from age 6 to 13. The TD children enjoyed formal and physical activities significantly more than the children with ASD.

Living with advanced heart failure or COPD: experiences and goals of individuals nearing the end of life.

The last phase of life of patients with end-stage heart failure (HF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is marked by high symptom burden and uncertainty about the future. Few enroll in hospice, and their preferences for care remain unknown. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences and goals for care of patients with end-stage HF and COPD who were recently discharged from the hospital.

Patient and family members' perceptions of palliative care in heart failure.

Purpose: To describe patients with HF and their family members' (FMs) experiences with, and perceptions of, inpatient PC consultations.

Methods: 40 semi-structured interviews were completed with 24 patients with late-stage HF and/or 16 designated FMs. Content analysis was used to derive themes from the data.

Variations in patterns of care activities for nursing home residents with heart failure.

Early clues of change in heart failure (HF) status, such as weight gain or reduced exercise tolerance, may be missed by caregivers in nursing homes (NHs) since daily weight measurement and functional assessments may not be performed routinely. These factors are likely to contribute to a delay in non-emergent care for the resident. The purpose of this study was to examine patterns of care activities provided in the NH setting to residents with HF and document variations in these care patterns across a random national sample of NHs.

Practice patterns of heart failure nurses.

Objective: Little is known about the practice patterns of nurses who work in the specialty of heart failure (HF). This specialty includes inpatient and outpatient sites for practice that incorporate intensive care to rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to describe the current practice of nurses who are members of the American Association of Heart Failure Nurses (AAHFN).

Effect of leisure activities on inflammation and cognitive function in an aging sample.

Cardiovascular disease risk factors (CVDRFs) increase the risk of dementia. The purpose of this study was to examine whether leisure activities (mental, physical, and social activities) modified the effect of CVDRFs on inflammatory markers and cognitive function in middle and old age. A secondary-data analysis study was conducted using data from 405 middle-age participants (40-59 years) and 342 old-age participants (60-84 years) who participated in the Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS).

Who is attending? End-of-life decision making in the intensive care unit.

Purpose: Traditional expectations of the single attending physician who manages a patient's care do not apply in today's intensive care units (ICUs). Although many physicians and other professionals have adapted to the complexity of multiple attendings, ICU patients and families often expect the traditional, single physician model, particularly at the time of end-of-life decision making (EOLDM). Our purpose was to examine the role of ICU attending physicians in different types of ICUs and the consequences of that role for clinicians, patients, and families in the context of EOLDM.

Family members' informal roles in end-of-life decision making in adult intensive care units.

Background: To support the process of effective family decision making, it is important to recognize and understand informal roles that various family members may play in the end-of-life decision-making process.

Objective: To describe some informal roles consistently enacted by family members involved in the process of end-of-life decision making in intensive care units.

Methods: Ethnographic study.

Heart failure patients' time, symptoms, and actions before a hospital admission.

The objective of this study was to compare newly diagnosed heart failure (HF) patients (n = 64) with chronic HF patients (n = 148) who had been hospitalized on their presenting symptoms and treatment delay times, whom the 2 groups notified and when, the advice they were given by those notified, and the actions they initiated before their hospitalization. Participants in the 2 groups similarly reported shortness of breath on exertion, orthopnea, weakness, edema, and cough. A greater percent of participants in the group with an HF history reported having fatigue compared to the group with no HF history (chi2 = 4.

Intensive care unit cultures and end-of-life decision making.

Purpose: Prior researchers studying end-of-life decision making (EOLDM) in intensive care units (ICUs) often have collected data retrospectively and aggregated data across units. There has been little research, however, about how cultures differ among ICUs. This research was designed to study limitation of treatment decision making in real time and to evaluate similarities and differences in the cultural contexts of 4 ICUs and the relationship of those contexts to EOLDM.

Symptom clusters in acute myocardial infarction: a secondary data analysis.

Background: Early recognition of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) symptoms and reduced time to treatment may reduce morbidity and mortality. People having AMI experience a constellation of symptoms, but the common constellations or clusters of symptoms have yet to be identified.

Objectives: To identify clusters of symptoms that represent AMI.

Delay in seeking care for symptoms of acute myocardial infarction: applying a theoretical model.

Thirty percent of people who experience symptoms of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) do not seek care until more than 2-6 hours after onset of symptoms, increasing their risk for morbidity and mortality. Using a model based on two frameworks, the common sense model of illness representation (CSM) and goal expectancy, variables associated with delay were examined to identify the most salient predictors of delay in seeking care for AMI. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the set of illness representation components from the CSM was a significant predictor of time to seek care, but individually, only recognition of symptoms as being caused by the heart was significant.

Perception of risk for coronary heart disease in women undergoing coronary angiography.

Background: Even though coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death among women in the United States, most women underestimate their risk of developing CHD.

Design: Survey to examine the relationship between women's recollection of being told they were at risk for CHD and the presence of risk factors.

Setting/participants: A convenience sample of 450 women undergoing coronary angiography at 1 university hospital.