ABSTRACT
Evidence exists for the association between health literacy and heart health outcomes. Cardiac rehabilitation is critical for recovery from heart attack and reducing hospital readmissions. Despite this, <30% of people participate in a program. Significant patient, hospital and health system challenges exist to improve recovery through increased heart health literacy. This brief case study reflects and documents practice-based initiatives by Heart Foundation Victoria to improve access to recovery information for patients with low literacy levels. Three key initiatives, namely the Six Steps To Cardiac Recovery resource, the Love Your Heart book and the nurse ambassador program, were implemented informed by mixed methods that assessed need and capacity at the individual, organisational and systems levels. Key outcomes included increased access to recovery information for patients with low health literacy, nurse knowledge and confidence to engage with patients on recovery information, improved education of patients and improved availability and accessibility of information for patients in diverse formats. Given the challenges involved in addressing heart health literacy, multifaceted practice-based approaches are essential to improve access to recovery information for patients with low literacy levels.
Subject(s)
Health Literacy/standards , Heart Diseases/rehabilitation , Needs Assessment/statistics & numerical data , Patient Education as Topic/methods , Patient Education as Topic/standards , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Rehabilitation/standards , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , VictoriaABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To analyze research literature that has examined the effectiveness of various physical therapy interventions on lateral epicondylitis. DATA SOURCES: Evidence was compiled with data located using the PubMed, EBSCO, The Cochrane Library, and the Hooked on Evidence databases from 1994 to 2006 using the key words lateral epicondylitis, tennis elbow, modalities, intervention, management of, treatment for, radiohumeral bursitis, and experiment. STUDY SELECTION: The literature used included peer-reviewed studies that evaluated the effectiveness of physical therapy treatments on lateral epicondylitis. Future research is needed to provide a better understanding of beneficial treatment options for people living with this condition. DATA SYNTHESIS: Shockwave therapy and Cyriax therapy protocol are effective physical therapy interventions. CONCLUSIONS: There are numerous treatments for lateral epicondylitis and no single intervention has been proven to be the most efficient. Therefore, future research is needed to provide a better understanding of beneficial treatment options for people living with this condition.
