Geocoding to Manage Missing Data in a Secondary Analysis of Community-Dwelling, Low-Income Older Adults.

Managing missing data in a secondary analysis is daunting, particularly if the data of interest were not included in the parent study design. The current study describes the use of geocoding to replace missing data from a parent study for a secondary analysis of socioeconomic and neighborhood characteristics in community-dwelling older adults who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. Geocoding was used to link participants' addresses to data from the American Community Survey to replace missing income and neighborhood data. After geocoding, data completeness was 100% for neighborhood poverty and education composition, and 99.9% for income. Using geocoding provides the gerontological nurse researcher with a sample that is more reflective of the population. The current findings can be used to tailor neighborhood-centered interventions to promote health in low-income older adults. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2017; 10(4):155-161.].

An Evaluation of Patient Comfort During Acute Psychiatric Hospitalization.

PURPOSE: To assess the difference in the level of comfort between psychiatric inpatients who received a warmed blanket and psychiatric inpatients who did not receive a warmed blanket. DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive pilot study from a convenience sample of 37 psychiatric patients aged 18-59. Subject's level of comfort was measured with Kolcaba's verbal rating scale (VRS). FINDINGS: Independent t-tests showed that the VRS mean score was lower in the control group (6.81) than the experimental group (7.29). PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Comfort is central to nursing and there has been little research regarding the effects of warm topical applications in the psychiatric hospital setting. Warmed blankets are not routinely offered to patients in the psychiatric setting. The use of warmed blankets may increase patient comfort.

Vicarious Trauma Among Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners.

Vicarious trauma (VT), the phenomenon of changes in cognition and worldview that result from empathic response and repeated exposure to narratives of trauma, is a risk for helping professionals. This descriptive, correlational study sought to examine levels of VT among sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) as compared with other women's health nurses. It also explored whether levels of VT are different for nurses who have experienced primary trauma alone, VT alone, or both personal trauma and VT. VT was assessed through an anonymous online survey using the nurses' total scores on the Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale. Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale scores were significantly higher for SANEs (M = 178.5, SD = 42.6) than for women's health nurses (M = 168.1, SD = 41.4; p = 0.025), indicating higher levels of trauma-related cognitive disruption in the SANE group. Scores were also significantly higher for both groups with personal trauma histories at the p < 0.05 level compared with the women's health nurses with no personal history. SANEs who had no personal history of trauma did not differ significantly from either group of nurses who did, suggesting that VT from working as an SANE is associated with levels of cognitive disruption similar to oneself having experienced trauma. Nurses should be aware of this phenomenon and its sequelae when choosing to pursue the specialty of sexual assault nursing. Hospitals and other organizations employing SANEs should also be aware of VT and provide a support system with resources in place to mitigate these effects. Future research should further explore effects of primary trauma versus VT, clinical manifestations and significance of varying levels of VT, and interventions and strategies for dealing with VT.

Life-sustaining treatment: a comparison of the preferences of Taiwanese older adults and their family caregiver.

BACKGROUND: Written advance directives are not common practice in Taiwan; thus, when older adults are critically ill, family members are usually the ones to make decisions regarding life-sustaining treatment. PURPOSE: This study determined how well the preferences of the family members for the older adults match the preferences of the older adults themselves with regard to life-sustaining treatment. METHODS: A cross-sectional comparative descriptive research design was used in this study. Ninety-five pairs of older adults and their families were included in the final analysis. The Life Support Preferences Questionnaire was used to measure life-sustaining preferences. Paired- sample t tests were performed to compare the mean differences between the older adults' preferences and the family members' preferences for these older adults. FINDING: Family members scored higher on life-sustaining treatment preferences than the older adults for all 32 examined items, with 23 (72%) of these items showing statistical significance. CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Communication between older adults and their family members regarding life-sustaining treatment may help prevent older adults from receiving unwanted treatments.

The effect of a holistic program on health-promoting behaviors in hospital registered nurses.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of a holistic program, the Collaborative Care Model (CCM) Program, and the development of a self-care plan on health-promoting behaviors in hospital nurses. DESIGN: A quasi-experimental, pretest, posttest, repeated measure, comparison-group design was used. METHOD: The study was conducted in a large, academic medical center in the northeast. The experimental group included registered nurses (RNs) from units in one institution introduced to the CCM and development of a self-care plan in an 8-hour program. The control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II instrument (HPLP II); a 52-question Likert-type scale with six subscales examining health-promoting behaviors. FINDINGS: Using repeated measures analysis of variance there was a significant increase (p = .02) in the overall HPLP II mean, spirituality ( p = .04), interpersonal relations (p = .04), and nutrition scores (p = .04) of the experimental group as compared over time with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The CCM plus the development of a self-care plan significantly increased overall health promoting behaviors, and spirituality, interpersonal relations, and nutrition scores in these RNs.

Quality of life of adult patients with sickle cell disease.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine quality of life (QOL) in adult patients with sickle cell anemia, hemoglobin SC, or hemoglobin S beta thalassemia. DATA SOURCES: Data were collected from a convenience sample of 62 adult patients (18 years of age and older) with sickle cell disease (SCD) in an outpatient clinic devoted to the care of hematological and oncological disorders. Burckhardt and Anderson's 16-item self-report Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) and a demographic questionnaire were used for data collection. CONCLUSIONS: The average QOLS scores for healthy populations are 90. The overall mean QOL score in this study of 83.6 (SD = 13.2) was lower than those of the general population. In this study, scores ranged from 52 to 112. Approximately 35% (n = 22) of participants' scores ranged from 52 to 75; approximately 35% (n = 22) of participants' scores ranged from 75 to 85; and approximately 30% (n = 17) of participants' scores ranged from 85 to 112. Other results were nonsignificant for all variables except the variable that assessed the extent to which participants consider themselves to be spiritual. Future research is needed to further the understanding of the impact of QOL in adults with SCD. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: A better understanding of adult patients with SCD QOL may ultimately improve healthcare services for this population. The findings could lead to future research that can identify factors that most impact the QOL of people living with SCD.

Sleep satisfaction of older adults living in the community: identifying associated behavioral and health factors.

The purpose of this study was to explore sleep satisfaction and its related factors among 130 older adults living in the community. Descriptive analyses indicated a small proportion of participants (n = 20, 15.4%) were not satisfied with sleep. Best descriptors of sleep satisfaction were the total amount of sleep, number of awakenings, depth of sleep, and overall quality of sleep. Regression analysis showed depression was negatively related to sleep satisfaction after controlling for age and number of illnesses (p < .05). Findings indicate the need for nurses to assess for factors such as depressive symptoms and anxiety associated with sleep satisfaction.

Depression and gender differences: focus on Taiwanese American older adults.

Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data was used to examine gender differences and depression in elderly Taiwanese Americans. There is a paucity of health-related research focused on Asian Americans. This is especially true in the area of mental health. Depression, the most common psychiatric illness in older adults, is under-diagnosed in Asian Americans. A convenience sample of 100 elderly Taiwanese Americans, 47 women and 53 men, was used. Women were older, had higher depressions cores, more physical illness, poorer sleep scores, and less physical activity. Regression analysis indicated that 25% of the variance in depression scores was explained by sleep quality and physical activity.

Memory functions of Taiwanese American older adults.

Memory complaints are common among older adults, of which ethnic minorities are the fastest growing group. Little is known about the memory function of Taiwanese American older adults. This article utilizes a cross-sectional, correlational design to examine the relationship between sleep, physical activity, depression, and memory self-efficacy and memory function and to determine the variance in memory function explained by the four independent variables and six control variables in Taiwanese American older adults. Memory self-efficacy correlated significantly with memory performance. Among the independent variables and control variables, age was the strongest predictor of memory function. A simultaneous multiple regression analysis showed that the four independent and six control variables together accounted for 41.8% of the variance in memory function. Results of this study are consistent with that of many other studies conducted in the United States: Memory declined with age.

Resourcefulness and self-care in pregnant women with HIV.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has caused suffering in the lives of humans worldwide. Pregnant Thai women now constitute the fastest-growing segment of individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Few studies have looked at self-care or resourcefulness among pregnant women with HIV. Using Rosenbaum's theory of learned resourcefulness, this study examined the direct effects of depression and resourcefulness on prenatal self-care as well as the mediating effects of resourcefulness on depression and self-care. A model testing study with 153 pregnant Thai women compared the effects of depression and resourcefulness on prenatal self-care in HIV-positive and HIV-negative groups. Regression analyses indicated direct effects of depression and resourcefulness on prenatal self-care. The effect of depression on prenatal self-care was mediated by resourcefulness. HIV status did not predict prenatal self-care. The findings on the relationships of depression, resourcefulness, and prenatal self-care can help nurses provide effective services to pregnant Thai women, including counseling on self-care.