Psychometric Properties of Instruments That Measure Vaping Outcome Expectancies: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Vaping is a growing public health concern. Interventions that address vaping must build upon rigorous research that uses psychometrically sound instruments to measure vaping-associated outcome expectancies.

Aims And Methods: The primary aim was to appraise the reporting of psychometric properties of instruments used to measure vaping outcome expectancies.

Multivariate Outliers: A Conceptual and Practical Overview for the Nurse and Health Researcher.

The presence of statistical outliers is a shared concern in research. If ignored or improperly handled, outliers have the potential to distort parameter estimates and possibly compromise the validity of research findings. The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual and practical overview of multivariate outliers with a focus on common techniques used to identify and manage multivariate outliers.

Univariate Outliers: A Conceptual Overview for the Nurse Researcher.

The presence of statistical outliers is a shared concern in research. If ignored or improperly handled, outliers have the potential to distort the estimate of the parameter of interest and thus compromise the generalizability of research findings. A variety of statistical techniques are available to assist researchers with the identification and management of outlier cases.

Exploring the Predictors of Emergency Department Triage Acuity Assignment in Patients With Sepsis.

Background and purpose Evidence suggests that septic patients, who require prompt medical attention, may be undertriaged, resulting in delayed treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine patient and contextual variables that contribute to high- versus low-acuity triage classification of patients with sepsis. Methods Data were abstracted from the medical records of 154 adult patients with sepsis admitted to hospital through a Canadian Emergency Department.

Exploring the Impact of Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment on Functions, Bother, and Well-Being.

Though many studies have explored the effects of radiation therapy on urinary, sexual, and bowel function and/or bother, few have focused on symptom experiences from diagnosis through the first year following completion of radiation therapy. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of 3 types of radiation treatment on functions, bother, and well-being in men with prostate cancer at 1, 6, and 12 months after completion of treatment. A repeated measures survey (N = 73) found that none of the function, bother, emotional, social, or functional well-being scores were significantly different among the 3 groups.

A descriptive study of functions, symptoms, and perceived health state after radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Purpose: To explore the impact of prostate cancer treatment on: (a) the experience of symptoms (i.e. sexual, urinary, and bowel), and (b) perceived health state of men with prostate cancer one month following their radiation treatment.

Predictors of cardiac symptom attribution among AMI patients.

Background: Care-seeking delay represents a major cause of death and disability for cardiac patients. With more than 70,000 new and recurrent acute myocardial infarctions (AMI) in Canada each year, recognizing symptoms as heart-related and seeking prompt medical care is essential for increasing the likelihood of successful treatment and survival. However, little is known about the factors associated with whether or not individuals attribute their symptoms to the heart (i.

Predictors of symptom congruence among patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Background And Objectives: The extent of congruence between one's symptom experience and preconceived ideas about the nature of myocardial infarction symptoms (ie, symptom congruence) can influence when acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients seek medical care. Lengthy delays impede timely receipt of medical interventions and result in greater morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the factors that contribute to symptom congruence.

Comparing the psychological stress between non-smoking patients and smoking patients who experience abrupt smoking cessation during hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction: a pilot study.

Background: Stress is an untoward condition in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Abrupt nicotine withdrawal is associated with increased symptoms of stress. However, little is known about the impact of smoking cessation on the psychological indicators of stress among hospitalized AMI patients.

Testing a model of delayed care-seeking for acute myocardial infarction.

A theory-testing approach to the study of delay in seeking treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was performed using a descriptive design with 135 AMI patients. Participants provided information pertaining to history of AMI, symptom congruence, responses to symptoms, cardiac symptom attribution, and AMI care-seeking delay. Structural equation modeling fit indices suggested that the independent predictors of AMI care-seeking delay were cardiac symptom attribution and emotion-focused coping.

Alternative coping strategies and decision delay in seeking care for acute myocardial infarction.

Background And Objective: In attempting to manage acute myocardial infarction (AMI) symptoms, individuals often engage in coping strategies that cause them to delay seeking timely medical care. Review of the literature revealed that several coping strategies were examined in relation to AMI delay, but there were no studies investigating the extent of use of each coping strategy. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent of use of 15 coping strategies and their associations with the time taken to decide to seek medical care.

Home intravenous therapy and the ability to perform self-care activities of daily living.

This prospective cohort study examined the variables that affect the ability of 92 patients receiving home intravenous (IV) therapy to perform self-care activities of daily living and whether there was a difference in their ability based on vascular access device (VAD) location and type or other IV-related variables. Analysis revealed that 4 IV-related variables were significant predictors of self-care ability score: IV delivery method (beta = -.212, P = .

Examining the association between chest tube-related factors and the risk of developing healthcare-associated infections in the ICU of a community hospital: a retrospective case-control study.

Objectives: The study examined the association between chest tube-related factors and the risk for developing healthcare-associated infections (HAI).

Research Methodology: A case-control retrospective chart review was performed on 120 intensive care patients. Eligible patients were 18 years of age or older, had been in the intensive care unit (ICU) for 48 h or more, and had one or more chest tubes.

Comparison of coping responses to symptoms between first-time sufferers and those with a previous history of acute myocardial infarction.

Background And Objective: Little is known about how experience with a previous acute myocardial infarction (AMI) impacts individuals' reactions to symptoms of a recurrent episode. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare the use of coping strategies during an acute cardiac event in patients experiencing a first AMI with those experiencing a recurrent AMI.

Subjects And Methods: Secondary data analyses were performed to examine differences in the use of coping strategies between individuals with and without a history of AMI.

Methodological issues associated with using different cut-off points to categorize outcome variables.

Knowledge of the factors that contribute to delay in seeking medical treatment for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) provides the basis for interventions that are intended to facilitate prompt care-seeking behaviour. However, operational definitions of delay time vary across research studies. The use of inconsistent cut-off times to distinguish between delayers and non-delayers is likely to compromise comparability and generalizability of the findings across studies.

Nurses' roles with families: perceptions of ICU nurses.

This descriptive survey examined: (a) differences between nurses' (N=47) perceptions of self-performance and that of their colleagues with regard to their roles with family members of intensive care patients, and (b) the impact of nurses' comfort on their role enactment as it relates to family focused interventions. Participants rated their self-performance higher than that of their colleagues with respect to 15 of the 19 items, suggesting that they think they perform better than their colleagues. The results also showed that nurses' comfort was positively correlated with their role enactment as it pertains to discussing patient prognosis (r=.

Missing data: an introductory conceptual overview for the novice researcher.

Missing data is a common issue in research that, if improperly handled, can lead to inaccurate conclusions about populations. A variety of statistical techniques are available to treat missing data. Some of these are simple while others are conceptually and mathematically complex.

Handling missing data in self-report measures.

Self-report measures are extensively used in nursing research. Data derived from such reports can be compromised by the problem of missing data. To help ensure accurate parameter estimates and valid research results, the problem of missing data needs to be appropriately addressed.

Enhancing health-care research: an interdisciplinary collaborative approach.

Many research programs tackle complex problems that cannot be comprehensively investigated by a sole researcher or a research team from a single profession. Interdisciplinary teams can develop a collective mass of common knowledge, broaden the scope of research, and produce more clinically relevant outcomes that are sensitive to the realities of practice. The authors describe the experience of a research team from the perspective of its members.

Family perceptions of nurses' roles toward family members of critically ill patients: a descriptive study.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of the nurse with families of critically ill patients as perceived by family members and whether meeting family expectations impact family satisfaction.

Methods: A descriptive design was conducted with 29 family members from a 19-bed intensive care unit. Nonparametric statistics, known for their appropriateness for small samples, were used to examine the research questions.

Predicting nosocomial bloodstream infections using surrogate markers of injury severity: clinical and methodological perspectives.

Background: Injury severity indices are numerical scores that are utilized to predict nosocomial bloodstream infections (BSI) in critically ill patients. However, surrogate markers of injury severity (SMIS) may be more clinically meaningful than these commonly used numerical injury severity indices with respect to the control and prevention of nosocomial BSI.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the clinical and research implications of using the SMIS in predicting nosocomial BSI.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome: another challenge for critical care nurses.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral disease that may be contracted by exposure to a newly recognized form of the coronavirus. It often manifests through a set of common respiratory symptoms that include fever and nonproductive cough. To date, SARS has no vaccine or definitive treatment.