ABSTRACT
Two hospitals--one community and one urban--use clinical pathways to streamline patient care. They lower the average length of stay by 41% and 30%, respectively, and shrink clinical and surgical complications.
Subject(s)
Arthroplasty, Replacement/nursing , Critical Pathways/organization & administration , Postoperative Care/methods , Arthroplasty, Replacement/adverse effects , Arthroplasty, Replacement/economics , Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. , Hospital Costs/statistics & numerical data , Hospitals, Community , Hospitals, Urban , Humans , Length of Stay/statistics & numerical data , Outcome Assessment, Health Care , Postoperative Care/nursing , Program Evaluation , United StatesABSTRACT
A sample of working women (462) was surveyed to determine the frequency and effectiveness of menopause-specific symptoms and self-care actions. Perimenopause women were more symptomatic than the pre or postmenopause women. The most frequently used and effective self-care actions were to control vasomotor symptoms.
Subject(s)
Menopause/physiology , Menopause/psychology , Personnel, Hospital/psychology , Self Care/methods , Self Care/psychology , Women, Working/psychology , Adult , Aged , Analysis of Variance , Estrogen Replacement Therapy/psychology , Estrogen Replacement Therapy/standards , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Menopause/drug effects , Middle Aged , Surveys and Questionnaires , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
A descriptive comparison study was conducted to determine if there were any coagulation, immune, nutritional, or insertion-related differences between 64 adult hospitalized clients who experienced phlebitis after insertion of a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) compared with a matched group of 64 adult hospitalized clients who did not develop phlebitis. Factors that significantly decreased the development of phlebitis in this study included smaller catheter gauge, placement in the basilic vein, tip location in the superior vena cava, no manipulation or movement at the exit site, and higher platelet levels.
Subject(s)
Catheterization, Central Venous/adverse effects , Catheterization, Peripheral/adverse effects , Phlebitis/etiology , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Blood Coagulation Disorders/complications , Catheterization, Central Venous/instrumentation , Catheterization, Central Venous/methods , Catheterization, Central Venous/nursing , Catheterization, Peripheral/instrumentation , Catheterization, Peripheral/methods , Catheterization, Peripheral/nursing , Female , Humans , Infusions, Intravenous , Male , Middle Aged , Neutropenia/complications , Nutritional Status , Phlebitis/epidemiology , Retrospective Studies , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
An exploratory pilot study was conducted to test the effectiveness of an educational program designed to enhance asthma patients' self-efficacy, knowledge, and self-care skills.
Subject(s)
Asthma/therapy , Patient Education as Topic/organization & administration , Self Care , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Program EvaluationABSTRACT
This is a partial replication of a descriptive correlation study that examined the relationship between dependent care, caregiver burden, health-related hardiness, and self-care agency of caregivers. Data from this replication were compared with those of the previously reported study. Data were collected from a home health agency and a radiation-oncology unit. A moderate significant negative correlation was found between objective burden and dependent care. Moderate significant positive correlations were found between self-care agency scores and the commitment/challenge and control subscales of health-related hardiness scores. The major difference between this study and the previous one was in the level of subjective burden. Even though caregivers reported greater levels of subjective burden, the correlation with self-care agency and hardiness was nonexistent. The small subsample of male caregivers (n = 14) prevented a statistical comparison with the previous data; however, in the pooled sample previous findings were supported.
Subject(s)
Adaptation, Psychological , Caregivers/psychology , Cost of Illness , Dependency, Psychological , Self Care/psychology , Caregivers/statistics & numerical data , Family/psychology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Neoplasms/nursing , Neoplasms/psychology , Psychological Tests/statistics & numerical data , Self Care/statistics & numerical data , Socioeconomic FactorsABSTRACT
Patients can become more agitated after the application of restraints. Restraints may be necessary to prevent injury to patients. Diversions, presence of family members, recliner chairs, day rooms, or sitters are alternatives to physical restraints.
Subject(s)
Attitude of Health Personnel , Restraint, Physical , Accidental Falls/prevention & control , Aged , HumansABSTRACT
A convenience sample of 113 spouse caregivers was used to examine the relationships between dependent care, caregiver burden, and self-care agency. Subjects were the spouses of radiation oncology or chemotherapy patients in a large metropolitan hospital. The Denyes Self-Care Agency Instrument was used to measure self-care agency. The Task Scale was used to operationalize dependent care, and the Burden Scales were used to measure caregiver burden. Demographic data were collected on the number of weeks in the caregiver role, presence of health problems in the caregiver, gender, age, income, and education. In the total sample, subjective burden was negatively and significantly related to self-care agency and objective burden, in addition, dependent care and objective burden were also negatively related. When the data were divided into subsamples based on gender, several of the relationships were in opposite directions. The most notable of these were the relationships between dependent care and self-care agency. It is evident that interventions should take these gender differences into account.
Subject(s)
Activities of Daily Living , Caregivers/psychology , Cost of Illness , Dependency, Psychological , Family/psychology , Neoplasms/nursing , Self Care , Workload , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nursing Theory , Sex Factors , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
This article traces the interactive process between theory and research as it has been used to clarify the concept of self-care agency, a key concept in Orem's model of nursing. Theoretical constructions of self-care agency that have emerged in the work of Orem and the Nursing Development Conference Group are reviewed. Operational measures of self-care agency are described, particularly with regard to their underlying theoretical formulations. Factorial structures for some self-care agency instruments are related to the components of self-care agency in Orem's most recent conceptualization. Dimensions of self-care agency that are consistently supported by research studies of this phenomenon are identified.
