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Rationale: Over 1.5 million Americans receive long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) for the treatment of chronic hypoxemia to optimize functional status and quality of life. However, current portable oxy...

Aims Medication non-adherence is a crucial behavioural risk factor in hypertension management. Forty-three to 65.5% of patients with presumed resistant hypertension are non-adherent. This narrative review focuses on the definition of adherence/non-adherence, measurement of medication adherence, and the management of medication non-adherence in resistant hypertension using multilevel intervention approaches to prevent or remediate non-adherence. Methods and results A review of adherence and resistant hypertension literature was conducted. Medication adherence consists of three different yet related dimensions: initiation, implementation, and discontinuation. To effectively measure medication non-adherence, a combination of direct and indirect methods is optimal. Interventions to tackle medication non-adherence must be integrated in multilevel approaches. Interventions at the patient level can combine educational/cognitive (e.g., patient education), behavioural/counselling (e.g., reducing complexity, cueing, tailoring to patient's lifestyle) and psychological/affective (e.g., social support) approaches. Improving provider competencies (e.g., reducing regimen complexity), implementing new care models inspired by principles of chronic illness management, and interventions at the healthcare system level can be combined. Conclusions Improvement of patient outcomes in presumed resistant hypertension will only be possible if the behavioural dimensions of patient management are fully integrated at all levels.

There is a need and opportunity for China to develop education and practice innovations given that advance practice nurses (APNs) improve health care and outcomes. The China Medical Board (CMB) China Nursing Network (CCNN) began planning for an Advanced Nursing Practice Program for education and career development that will facilitate CCNN's contributions to meeting national nursing policy priorities. This paper presents the discussion, recommendations and action plans developed at the inaugural planning meeting on June 26, 2015 at Fudan University in Shanghai. The recommendations are: Develop standards for advanced nursing practice; Develop Master's level curricula based on the standards; Commence pilot projects across a number of University affiliated hospitals; and Prepare clinical tutors and faculty. The strategic directions and actions are: Develop a clinical career ladder system; Expand the nursing role from hospital to community; and Build a specialty nurse accreditation system. Keywords: Advanced nursing practice, China, Nursing education, Nursing practice, Masters education, Nursing specialists

This paper provides an overview of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) in the USA, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. It is based upon documents presented to the China Medical Board (CMB) China Nursing Network (CNN) as background for discussions held by the CNN in Shanghai. It discusses the APN role in these countries and regions according to topics identified by the CNN. These are APN educational preparation; role legitimacy; capacity requirements; scope of practice, domains of activities and limited rights for prescription and referral; professional promotion ladder; accreditation system; and, performance evaluation system. Both Canada and Australia have adapted many aspects of the USA model of APN to fit their specific legislative requirements and local conditions. Hong Kong has taken a different path which may be of interest in the Chinese context.

Aims To propose definitions of global health and global nursing that reflect the new paradigm that integrates domestic and international health. Background Increased globalization has led to expanded awareness of the importance of global health and global nursing among students and faculty in the health professions and among policymakers and practitioners. Design Discussion paper that includes a discussion and review of the literature related to global health and global nursing. Data sources A task force searched for and reviewed articles published in English, Spanish or Portuguese between 2005-2015, developed summaries, listed key elements, identified prevalent themes and developed consensus definitions. Implications for nursing The definitions will be used by the Global Advisory Panel on the Future of Nursing to guide promoting a voice and vision for nursing that will contribute to the advancement of the profession's contribution to global health. Conclusions Definitions of global health and global nursing were developed based on main themes and concepts identified in the literature review to guide contributions of nursing to global health.

Black men suffer disproportionately from hypertension. Antihypertensive medication nonadherence is a major contributor to poor blood pressure control, yet few studies consider how psychosocial functioning may impact black men's medication adherence. The authors examined the direct and mediating pathways between depressive symptoms, psychosocial stressors, and substance use on antihypertensive medication nonadherence in 196 black men enrolled in a clinical trial to improve hypertension care and control. The authors found that greater depressive symptoms were associated with more medication nonadherence (β=0.05; standard error [SE], 0.01; P

In July 2008, five nurses graduated from the first full-time doctoral program for nurses in China at Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) in Beijing. The purpose of this article is to describe the doctoral program partnership between the Schools of Nursing at PUMC and Johns Hopkins University (Hopkins) in the United States that led to this historic event. The planning, implementation, evaluation, and early outcomes of the program are described to provide a model for rapidly increasing capacity for doctoral education in nursing in countries without sufficient or any doctoral education in nursing. One of the main objectives of this doctoral program partnership was to transition the Chinese University to an independent doctoral program as rapidly as possible. Lessons learned are presented as well as the next steps for this program.

Background Lower socioeconomic status is associated with excess disease burden from diabetes. Diabetes self-management support interventions are needed that are effective in engaging lower income patients, addressing competing life priorities and barriers to self-care, and facilitating behavior change.

Nonadherence and poor or no persistence with taking antihypertensive medications results in uncontrolled high blood pressure, poor clinical outcomes and preventable health care costs. Factors associated with nonadherence are multilevel and relate not only to the patient, but also to the provider, health care system, health care organization, and community. National guideline committees have called for more aggressive approaches to implement strategies known to improve adherence and technologies known to enable changes at the systems level including improved communication among providers and patients. Improvements in adherence and persistence are likely to be achieved by supporting patient self-management, a team approach to patient care, technology-supported office practice systems, better methods to measure adherence, and less clinical inertia. Integrating high blood pressure control into health care policies that emphasize and improve prevention and management of chronic illness remains a challenge. Four strategies are proposed: focusing on clinical outcomes; empowering informed, activated patients; developing prepared proactive practice teams; and advocating for health care policy reform. With hypertension remaining the most common reason for office visits, the time is now.

J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2010;12:757‐764. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Nonadherence and poor or no persistence in taking antihypertensive medications results in uncontrolled high blood pressure, poor clinical outcomes, and preventable health care costs. Factors associated with nonadherence are multilevel and relate not only to the patient, but also to the provider, health care system, health care organization, and community. National guideline committees have called for more aggressive approaches to implement strategies known to improve adherence and technologies known to enable changes at the systems level, including improved communication among providers and patients. Improvements in adherence and persistence are likely to be achieved by supporting patient self‐management, a team approach to patient care, technology‐supported office practice systems, better methods to measure adherence, and less clinical inertia. Integrating high blood pressure control into health care policies that emphasize and improve prevention and management of chronic illness remains a challenge. Four strategies are proposed: focusing on clinical outcomes; empowering informed, activated patients; developing prepared proactive practice teams; and advocating for health care policy reform. With hypertension remaining the most common reason for office visits, the time is now.

Despite prevalent low literacy nationally, empirical research on the development and testing of literacy-adapted patient education remains limited.To describe procedures for developing and evaluating usability and acceptability of an adapted diabetes and CVD patient education.Materials adaptation for literacy demand and behavioral activation criteria, and pre-/post-test intervention evaluation design.Pilot sample of 30 urban African-American adults with type 2 diabetes with Below Average literacy (n = 15) and Average literacy (n = 15).Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT-3, Reading), assessment of diabetes and CVD knowledge, and patient rating scale.Reading grade levels were:12th, 30%; 10th-12th, 20%; 7th-9th, 10%; 4th-6th grade, 10%; andor = 3rd grade or unable to complete WRAT-3, 30%. Education materials were modified to a reading level ofor = 4th grade. Knowledge improved for Below Average (2.7 to 4.7, p = 0.005) and Average (3.8 to 5.7, p = 0.002) literacy groups, with up to a ten-fold increase, at post-education, in the number of participants responding correctly to some content items. The print materials and class received maximum usability and acceptability ratings from patients.Development of patient education meeting very low literacy criteria was feasible, effective for knowledge acquisition, and highly acceptable irrespective of literacy level.

Background The number of African immigrants in the United States grew 40‐fold between 1960 and 2007, from 35 355 to 1.4 million, with a large majority from West Africa. This study sought to examine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) risk factors and global CVD risk and to identify independent predictors of increased CVD risk among West African immigrants in the United States. Methods and Results This cross‐sectional study assessed West African (Ghanaian and Nigerian) immigrants aged 35–74 years in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The mean age of participants was 49.5±9.2 years, and 58% were female. The majority (95%) had ≥1 of the 6 CVD risk factors. Smoking was least prevalent, and overweight or obesity was most prevalent, with 88% having a body mass index (in kg/m 2 ) ≥25; 16% had a prior diagnosis of diabetes or had fasting blood glucose levels ≥126 mg/ dL . In addition, 44% were physically inactive. Among women, employment and health insurance were associated with odds of 0.09 (95% CI 0.033–0.29) and 0.25 (95% CI 0.09–0.67), respectively, of having a Pooled Cohort Equations estimate ≥7.5% in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. Among men, higher social support was associated with 0.90 (95% CI 0.83–0.98) lower odds of having ≥3 CVD risk factors but not with having a Pooled Cohort Equations estimate ≥7.5%. Conclusions The prevalence of CVD risk factors among West African immigrants was particularly high. Being employed and having health insurance were associated with lower CVD risk in women, but only higher social support was associated with lower CVD risk in men.

The prevalence of hypertension continues to rise across the world, and most patients who receive medical intervention are not adequately treated to goal. A Working Group including representatives of nine international health-care organizations was convened to review the barriers to more effective blood pressure control and propose actions to address them. The group concluded that tackling the global challenge of hypertension will require partnerships among multiple constituencies, including patients, health-care professionals, industry, media, health-care educators, health planners and governments. Additionally, health-care professionals will need to act locally with renewed impetus to improve blood pressure goal rates. The Working Group identified five core actions, which should be rigorously implemented by practitioners and targeted by health systems throughout the world: (1) detect and prevent high blood pressure; (2) assess total cardiovascular risk; (3) form an active partnership with the patient; (4) treat hypertension to goal and (5) create a supportive environment. These actions should be pursued with vigour in accordance with current clinical guidelines, with the details of implementation adapted to the economic and cultural setting.

With growing use of Community Health Workers (CHWs) to reach underserved populations, there is a need for more information on training methods to prepare CHWs, particularly in a health educator role.To describe procedures used to recruit, train, and evaluate CHWs in Project Sugar 2, a randomized controlled trial of a nurse case manager and CHW team intervention designed to improve diabetes care and control in a sample of 542 urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes.CHWs received a Core Training on guidelines and procedures, didactic diabetes self-management education, and research protocol training. However, barriers to CHW implementation of the intervention were encountered, including CHW attrition, job performance and satisfaction issues, low self-confidence in knowledge and skills as educators, difficulties with maintaining a large caseload, and inefficiencies experienced in conducting home visits. To address barriers, the initial training was modified and condensed. A supplemental training utilizing participatory methods was developed collaboratively by CHWs and trainers to facilitate CHWs' designing of intervention materials in their own words and contributing processes for intervention implementation and quality control.The supplemental training resulted in CHW retention, satisfaction, confidence in skills, and feelings of ownership of the intervention. Participant satisfaction with care received from the CHWs and the Project Sugar 2 intervention was rated as high by 97% and 93% of responders, respectively.Core training in research intervention policies, procedures, and protocols, combined with an extended participatory training, led to effective preparation of laypersons to serve as CHWs.

© 2016 European Society of Cardiology. Background Despite the compelling evidence of the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on risk factor modification, quality of life and mortality reduction, a significant proportion of eligible patients are not referred or do not participate. Factors influencing CR referral and participation are complex and are likely patient, referral system and clinician-related. Little is known about clinician-related factors, which include attitudes, values and beliefs towards CR, or how these factors affect patient referral and attendance. This review examines the current evidence in the literature in relation to clinicians' attitudes, values and beliefs about CR. Methods A review of the literature was conducted on studies in relation to clinicians' attitudes, values and beliefs toward CR. An expert consensus methodology was used to develop the concepts presented in this paper. Results Besides guidelines, a range of other factors influence clinicians' view about CR. This review suggests that clinicians lacking cardiac qualifications may have limited knowledge and awareness of CR and its benefits. Low agreement among clinicians on who is more likely to benefit from CR was also identified. Clinicians' personal lifestyle and health belief, the availability and quality of local the CR programme, and the lack of a standard administrative process of referral can also hinder the referral of patients to CR. Conclusions Clinician-related factors are important to consider in relation to CR referral and participation. Education for clinicians, discussion of local services and the support of an efficacious system at programme and organisation levels are essential.

Background African American men with hypertension in low socioeconomic urban populations achieve poor rates of hypertension control and suffer early from its complications. Methods In a randomized clinical trial with 309 hypertensive urban African American men aged 21 to 54 years, we evaluated the effectiveness of a more intensive comprehensive educational-behavioral-pharmacologic intervention by a nurse practitioner-community health worker-physician (NP/CHW/MD) team and a less intensive education and referral intervention in controlling blood pressure (BP) and minimizing progression of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and renal insufficiency. Changes in BP, left ventricular mass (LVM), and serum creatinine from baseline to 36 months were compared between groups. Results At 36 months, the mean systolic BP/diastolic BP change from baseline was −7.5/−10.1 mm Hg for the more intensive group and +3.4/−3.7 mm Hg for the less intensive group (P = .001 and .005 for between-group differences in systolic BP and diastolic BP, respectively). The proportion of men with controlled BP (

Young, urban, African American men are at particularly high risk of hypertension and its cardiovascular complications. Left ventricular hypertrophy and renal dysfunction are manifestations of target organ damage from hypertension that predict adverse cardiovascular events. The subjects of this study were 309 African American men, age 18–54 years, with hypertension, residing in inner‐city Baltimore. Echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, serum creatinine, and the urinary albumin‐creatinine ratio were obtained to evaluate hypertensive target organ damage. Fifty‐three percent of the men reported use of antihypertensive medications, of whom 80% were on monotherapy. Calcium channel blockers were used most frequently. The mean echocardiographic left ventricular mass was 211±68 g, with a prevalence of echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy of 30%. There were 14 men (5%) with extremely high left ventricular mass, >350 grams. Left ventricular systolic dysfunction was seen in 9% of the men with uncontrolled hypertension, and none of the men with controlled hypertension (p=0.02). Renal dysfunction was found in 12% of the subjects, and microalbuminuria or gross proteinuria in 34%. The authors conclude that there is a high prevalence of cardiac and renal abnormalities in inner‐city African American men with hypertension, especially in men on antihypertensive therapy with uncontrolled hypertension. It is imperative that cost‐effective medications and culturally acceptable health care delivery programs be developed, tested, and integrated into health systems, with strategies specifically relevant to this high‐risk population, to decrease the largely preventable morbidity and mortality associated with hypertension.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death and disability in most Western industrialized countries including the U.S., cutting across all ethnic, racial, and gender groups. Despite the tremendous body of research to support the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of CVD prevention

A large number of factors contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in health status. Health care professionals, researchers, and policymakers have believed for some time that access to care is the centerpiece in the elimination of these health disparities. The Institute of Medicine's (IOM) model of access to health services includes personal, financial, and structural barriers, health service utilization, and mediators of care. This model can be used to describe the interactions among these factors and their impact on health outcomes and equity of services among racial and ethnic groups. We present a modified version of the IOM model that incorporates the features of other access models and highlights barriers and mediators that are relevant for interventions designed to eliminate disparities in U.S. health care. We also suggest that interventions to eliminate disparities and achieve equity in health care services be considered within the broader context of improving quality of care. Some health service intervention studies have shown improvements in the health of disadvantaged groups. If properly designed and implemented, these interventions could be used to reduce health disparities. Successful features of interventions include the use of multifaceted, intense approaches, culturally and linguistically appropriate methods, improved access to care, tailoring, the establishment of partnerships with stakeholders, and community involvement. However, in order to be effective in reducing disparities in health care and health status, important limitations of previous studies need to be addressed, including the lack of control groups, nonrandom assignment of subjects to experimental interventions, and use of health outcome measures that are not validated. Interventions might be improved by targeting high-risk populations, focusing on the most important contributing factors, including measures of appropriateness and quality of care and health outcomes, and prioritizing dissemination efforts.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of socioeconomic barriers, familial barriers, and clinical variables with health-related quality of life (HRQL). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 186 African Americans with type 2 diabetes recruited from 2 primary care clinics in East Baltimore, Maryland. Physical functioning, social functioning, mental health, and general health were measured using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short form. Socioeconomic (money, housing, street crime) and familial (family problems, caretaker responsibilities) barriers were assessed by standardized interview. Insulin use, comorbid disease, and measured abnormalities in body mass index, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure, lipids, and renal function were investigated. RESULTS: Mean HRQL scores were: physical functioning, 61±29; social functioning, 76±26; mental health, 69±21; and general health, 48±21. Linear regression analyses revealed that each barrier to care was significantly associated with lower scores in 1 or more HRQL domain. As number of socioeconomic and familial barriers increased from 0 to 5, HRQL scores decreased by 18 for social functioning, 21 for general health, 23 for physical functioning, and 28 for mental health (all P for trend

Background Oxygen (O 2 ) homeostasis is central to myocardial tissue functioning, and increased O 2 demand is thought to be satisfied by a vasodilatory mechanism that results in increased blood and O 2 delivery. We applied blood oxygenation level–dependent (BOLD) MRI in conjunction with vasodilatory stress to index the ability to augment intramyocardial oxygenation in hypertensive hypertrophy, the primary cause of heart failure. Methods and Results Nine healthy controls and 10 hypertensive subjects with moderate-to-severe hypertrophy underwent imaging on a 1.5 T clinical scanner. The dipyridamole-induced change in the apparent transverse relaxation rate, R2*, which correlates with hemoglobin oxygenation, was −5.4±2.2 s −1 (95% CI, −4.0 to −6.8 s −1 ) in controls compared with −1.7±1.4 s −1 (95% CI, −0.8 to −2.6 s −1 ) in hypertensive patients ( P =0.0003). Conclusions Patients with hypertensive hypertrophy demonstrate an impaired ability to increase intramyocardial oxygenation during vasodilatory stress, as indexed by BOLD MRI. The capacity to image vascular function with BOLD MRI may advance the understanding of the development of ventricular dysfunction in hypertension.

PURPOSEthis study was conducted to determine diabetes care priorities and needs in a group of urban African American adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.METHODSOne hundred nineteen African American adults with type 2 diabetes, aged 35 to 75, received behavioral/educational interventions from a nurse case manager, a community health worker, or both. Priorities and needs were assessed during 3 intervention visits.RESULTSThe most frequently reported priorities for diabetes care were glucose self-monitoring (61%), medication adherence (47%), and healthy eating (36%). The most frequently addressed diabetes needs were glucose self-monitoring and medication adherence. Most of the intervention visits (77%) addressed nondiabetes-related health issues such as cardiovascular disease (36%) and social issues such as family responsibilities (30%).CONCLUSIONSParticipants' self-reported priorities for diabetes care directly reflected the diabetes needs addressed. Needs beyond the focus of traditional diabetes care (social issues and insurance) are important to address in urban African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Interventions designed to address comprehensive health and social needs should be included in treatment and educational plans for this population.

An in-depth cardiovascular risk factor assessment was carried out in a sample of 205 Korean American elderly in Maryland, consisting of 75 males and 130 females aged 60 to 89 years (mean age = 69.9± 6.5 years). Six risk factors were assessed in each participant: high blood pressure, current smoking, high blood cholesterol, overweight, sedentary lifestyle, and diabetes. The findings of this cross-sectional study suggested that high blood pressure was the leading cardiovascular disease risk factor among Korean American elderly (71%), followed by high blood cholesterol (53%), overweight (43%), sedentary life style (24%), diabetes (18%), and smoking (7%). Two thirds of the sample had multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors. The pattern of prevalence and risk factors that was observed was consistent with the distribution of multiple risk factors in that the combination of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and overweight was most common in Korean American elderly (62%). These findings indicate that culturally relevant and salient strategies are needed to reduce multiple risk factors in this population.

Background and Purpose— This guideline provides an overview of the evidence on various established and potential stroke risk factors and provides recommendations for the reduction of stroke risk. M...

Despite clinical trial evidence and public health data documenting the benefits of controlling hypertension in individuals and populations, implementation in practice is less than optimal. Barriers to hypertension care and control are remarkably persistent and continue to impede improvement in rates of awareness, treatment, and control. Barriers have been identified at the patient, provider, health care organization, and community levels. At every level, knowledge, attitudes, values, and beliefs can impede the evidence-based recommended behaviors needed to lower blood pressure and sustain lowering over time. Numerous new studies provide data that reinforce the need for culturally sensitive interventions at each level.

Context One of 2 women in the United States dies of heart disease or stroke, yet women are underdiagnosed and undertreated for these diseases and their risk factors. Informed decisions to prevent heart disease and stroke depend on awareness of risk factors and knowledge of behaviors to prevent or detect these diseases. Objective Assess (1) knowledge of risks of heart disease and stroke and (2) perceptions of heart disease and its prevention among women in the United States. Design and setting Telephone survey conducted in 1997 of US households, including an oversample of African American and Hispanic women. Participants One thousand respondents 25 years or older; 65.8% white, 13.0% African American, and 12.6% Hispanic. Main outcome measures Knowledge of heart disease and stroke risks, perceptions of heart disease, and knowledge of symptoms and preventive measures. Results Only 8% of the respondents identified heart disease and stroke as their greatest health concerns; less than 33% identified heart disease as the leading cause of death. More women aged 25 to 44 years identified breast cancer as the leading cause of death than women 65 years or older. Women aged 25 to 44 years indicated they were not well informed about heart disease and stroke. Although 90% of the women reported that they would like to discuss heart disease or risk reduction with their physicians, more than 70% reported that they had not. Conclusions Most women do not perceive that heart disease is a substantial health concern and report that they are not well informed about their risk. Age influenced knowledge to a greater extent than ethnicity. Programs directed at young women that address the effects of lifestyle behaviors on long-term health are needed. Better communication between physicians and patients is also warranted.

This randomized trial recruited and followed underserved, inner-city, hypertensive (HTN), young black men and investigated whether a nurse-community health worker team in combination with usual medical care (SI) increased entry into care and reduced high blood pressure (HBP), in comparison to usual medical care (UC) alone. Emergency department records, advertising, and BP screenings identified potential participants with HBP. Telephone calls and personal contacts tracked enrollees. Of 1391 potential participants, 803 (58%) responded to an invitation to be screened and scheduled a visit. Of these, 528 (66%) kept an appointment, 207 (35%) were BP eligible, and 204 (99%) consented to enroll. At 12 months 91% of men were accounted for and 85.8% (adjusted for death, in jail, or moved away) were seen. Mean BP changed from 153(16)/98(10) to 152(19)/94(11) mm Hg in the SI group and 151(18)/98(11) to 147(21)/92(14) mm Hg in the UC group (P = NS). High rates of participation are attainable in this population; however, culturally acceptable ways of delivering HBP care are needed.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of symptoms and the morbidity associated with Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) among African Americans. A total of 2196 randomly selected residents of an inner-city community, in Baltimore, completed a health-assessment survey. Symptoms of RP consisted of cold sensitivity plus cold-induced white or blue digital color change. One third ( n = 703) reported cold sensitivity and 14% ( n = 308) reported digital color change; 84 residents with symptoms of RP were identified, yielding an overall prevalence rate of 3.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.0–4.6). RP was associated with poor or fair health status (odds ratio [OR] = 1.82, CI 1.18–2.81), heart disease (OR = 2.32, CI 1.39–3.87), and stroke (OR = 2.20, CI 1.17–4.15), after adjustment for age, gender, and physician-diagnosed arthritis. The prevalence of symptoms of RP in this African-American community is comparable to published reports from other populations. These community-based data suggest that identification of RP among African Americans should raise consideration of possible comorbidity, particularly cardiovascular disease.

Abstract —To determine the extent to which the Fifth Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC-V) guidelines were implemented in high-risk families with premature coronary heart disease, we examined the prevalence of hypertension and associated coronary risk factors in asymptomatic siblings of persons with documented premature coronary disease (30% of calories from fat; and only 14% were participating in vigorous physical activity three or more times per week. Comparisons with the national reference population revealed siblings to have a significantly higher prevalence of hypertension, along with significantly lower levels of awareness, treatment, and control. These findings demonstrate the intersection of multiple risk factors among hypertensive siblings and emphasize the need for more aggressive screening and treatment in this easily identifiable high-risk population.

It is a privilege and an honor to speak with the scientific community about the need to integrate the behavioral and social sciences with the biomedical sciences and how this relates to the mission of the American Heart Association. My observations and thoughts are influenced by my experiences as a nurse researcher and behavioral scientist at Johns Hopkins, where I have been involved in a research program on high blood pressure control in urban black communities. Tremendous advances in biology are providing new knowledge about genetics, physiology, pathophysiology, and disease, creating exciting opportunities for clinical research. From the laboratory this research evolves into new applications for diagnosis, therapy, and prevention in humans. At the same time, important advances in behavioral science, clinical outcomes, and healthcare delivery have provided needed knowledge about prevention and treatment. This research transitions from the healthcare setting into the community. Individuals’ lifestyles significantly impact their health, with unhealthy habits accounting for about 54%1 of known contributions to heart disease. Behavioral and biological interventions can reduce morbidity, disability, and death due to heart disease and stroke. They can improve quality of life and influence the behavior of policy makers in their decisions, health professionals in their practice, and people in their daily lives. However, there is a gap between the efficacy of interventions in studies and their effectiveness in practice, a gap between potential and reality, intention and action, and information and behavior. This gap illustrates the urgent need to more fully integrate the social and behavioral sciences with the biomedical sciences. Three questions arise: Despite extensive studies of strategies to prevent and treat risk factors for heart disease and stroke, current evidence documents …

Several themes emerged as I reviewed my career and development as a leader in cardiovascular nursing. An inherent part of my personality is to analyze situations, identify needed action, and figure out appropriate solutions. I recognized that gaining expert knowledge, wise mentors, and constructive critique were essential if I was to develop the skill to make meaningful contributions. My greatest role satisfaction comes from facilitating the intersection of nursing with other disciplines and coaching and mentoring others. Volunteering in the American Heart Association has provided me with many opportunities, an extensive network, and invaluable friendships.

Purpose: Widespread prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) requires significant aggregate lifestyle behavior changes. Extensive resources including money, time, access, facilities, materials, and programs are needed to bring about such behavior changes on a large scale. Over the past several decades, funds for large scale public health efforts and related CVD research have become more difficult to acquire, and prevention efforts have been shifting to state and community sites. Thus, large scale behavior modification for CVD prevention requires active efforts to access resources from partnerships with multiple private sector organizations. Methods: Religious organizations (ROs) are a potentially valuable channel with many advantages for undertaking behavior change programming in partnership with public health researchers. ROs have a broad, direct “reach” with people and provide social support structures, facilities, volunteers, communication channels and access to many sub-populations as well as a compatible mission and history of interest in health. In spite of the many advantages of partnerships between CVD health researchers and ROs, very few formal research studies have been conducted. Existing reports have emphasized the feasibility and powerful benefits of implementing RO-based health programs; however, little data or formal hypothesis testing have been reported. Very few formal CVD research projects have employed scientifically acceptable research designs with random assignment of intact groups to intervention and comparison conditions. Results: In this review, conducted by the current authors, only six projects have been identified that meet these more rigorous scientific criteria. In a discussion of these projects, we classify RO-based studies into four levels of involvement of the RO: 1) use of ROs as sites for recruitment and tracking of experimental subjects; 2) use of RO facilities to conduct interventions; 3) involvement of RO members in delivering behavior change programs; and 4) the addition of significant religious components as an integral part of the intervention. This paper discusses the design, results and implications of these studies including information on what we already know about conducting research with ROs, gaps in existing research and recommendations for future studies. Conclusions: There is enormous untapped potential for RO-based CVD prevention research, but considerably more work is required to achieve the level of research that is currently conducted in other channels such as worksites and schools. Health practitioners/researchers and ROs are increasingly seizing the opportunity for partnerships to improve health. The knowledge gained from these projects and their documented successes will hopefully encourage other components of the public health system such as hospitals, managed care organizations and departments of health to continue developing ways of including ROs in health research and behavior change programming.

The efficacy of cardiovascular risk-reduction programs has been established. However, the extent to which risk-reduction interventions are effective may depend on adherence. Non-compliance, or non-adherence, may occur with any of the recommended or prescribed regimens and may vary across the treatment course. Compliance problems, whether occurring early or late in the treatment course, are clinically significant, as adherence is one mediator of the clinical outcome. This article, which is based on a review of the empirical literature of the past 20 years, addresses compliance across four regimens of cardiovascular risk reduction: pharmacological therapy, exercise, nutrition, and smoking cessation. The criteria for inclusion of a study in this review were: (a) focus on cardiovascular disease risk reduction; (b) report of a quantitative measure of compliance behavior; and (c) use of a randomized controlled design. Forty-six studies meeting these criteria were identified. A variety of self-report, objective, and electronic measurement methods were used across these studies. The interventions employed diverse combinations of cognitive, educational, and behavioral strategies to improve compliance in an array of settings. The strategies demonstrated to be successful in improving compliance included behavioral skill training, self-monitoring, telephone/mail contact, self-efficacy enhancement, and external cognitive aids. A series of tables summarize the intervention strategies, compliance measures, and findings, as well as the interventions demonstrated to be successful. This review reflects the progress made over two decades in compliance measurement and research and, further, advances made in the application of behavioral strategies to the promotion of cardiovascular risk reduction.

This article summarizes the body of research about ethical conflicts described by nurses in variousfields ofpractice and recommends direction for the use and extension of this information. Twenty-three studies that fit criteria for inclusion were located. As a group, studies use inconsistent terminology, pay little attention to measurement characteristics of the instruments used, and do not use explanatory theory about how and why ethical conflicts develop or are experienced. Several studies of nurses practicing in community and home care settings, in intensive care units, and in administrative roles show some common areas of ethical conflict. Studies of ethical conflicts can be used as a basis for improving practice.

The role of the nurse in improving hypertension control has expanded over the past 50 years, complementing and supplementing that of the physician. Nurses' involvement began with measuring and monitoring blood pressure (BP) and patient education and has expanded to become one of the most effective strategies to improve BP control. Today the roles of nurses and nurse practitioners (NPs) in hypertension management involve all aspects of care, including (1) detection, referral, and follow up; (2) diagnostics and medication management; (3) patient education, counseling, and skill building; (4) coordination of care; (5) clinic or office management; (6) population health management; and (7) performance measurement and quality improvement. The patient-centered, multidisciplinary team is a key feature of effective care models that have been found to improve care processes and control rates. In addition to their clinical roles, nurses lead clinic and community-based research to improve the hypertension quality gap and ethnic disparities by holistically examining social, cultural, economic, and behavioral determinants of hypertension outcomes and designing culturally sensitive interventions to address these determinants.

Adherence to a prescribed medication regimen is influenced not only by characteristics of the individual patient, but also by factors within the patient's environment, or so-called system level factors. Until now, however, health care system factors have received relatively little attention in explaining medication nonadherence. Ecological models might serve as a framework to help explain the influence of health care system factors on patient behavior (e.g., adherence). In an ecological model, different levels of factors influence patients' behavior, i.e. factors at the patient-level, micro- (provider and social support), meso- (health care organization), and macro (health policy) -levels. In order to understand medication adherence and implement interventions to improve medication adherence, factors at these different levels should be taking into consideration. This paper describes an ecological model compromised of the most important factors at the patient-, micro-, meso- and macro-levels. ispartof: Western Journal of Nursing Research vol:34 issue:5 pages:635-653 ispartof: location:United States status: published

Background— Despite well-publicized guidelines on the appropriate management of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, the implementation of risk-reducing practices remains poor. This report describes the results of a randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of a comprehensive program of cardiovascular disease risk reduction delivered by nurse practitioner /community health worker (NP/CHW) teams versus enhanced usual care (EUC) to improve lipids, blood pressure, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and patient perceptions of the quality of their chronic illness care in patients in urban community health centers. Methods and Results— A total of 525 patients with documented cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, or hypertension and levels of LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, or HbA1c that exceeded goals established by national guidelines were randomly assigned to NP/CHW (n=261) or EUC (n=264) groups. The NP/CHW intervention included aggressive pharmacological management and tailored educational and behavioral counseling for lifestyle modification and problem solving to address barriers to adherence and control. Compared with EUC, patients in the NP/CHW group had significantly greater 12-month improvement in total cholesterol (difference, 19.7 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (difference,15.9 mg/dL), triglycerides (difference, 16.3 mg/dL), systolic blood pressure (difference, 6.2 mm Hg), diastolic blood pressure (difference, 3.1 mm Hg), HbA1c (difference, 0.5%), and perceptions of the quality of their chronic illness care (difference, 1.2 points). Conclusions— An intervention delivered by an NP/CHW team using individualized treatment regimens based on treat-to-target algorithms can be an effective approach to improve risk factor status and perceptions of chronic illness care in high-risk patients. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT00241904.

Background Despite well-publicized guidelines on the appropriate management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes, implementation of risk-reducing practices remains poor. This paper describes the rationale and design of a randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of a comprehensive program of CVD risk reduction delivered by nurse practitioner (NP)/community health worker (CHW) teams versus enhanced usual care in improving the proportion of patients in urban community health centers who achieve goal levels recommended by national guidelines for lipids, blood pressure, HbA1c and prescription of appropriate medications. Methods The COACH (Community Outreach and Cardiovascular Health) trial is a randomized controlled trial in which patients at federally-qualified community health centers were randomly assigned to one of two groups: comprehensive intensive management of CVD risk factors for one year by a NP/CHW team or an enhanced usual care control group. Results A total of 3899 patients were assessed for eligibility and 525 were randomized. Groups were comparable at baseline on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics with the exception of statistically significant differences in total cholesterol and hemoglobin A1c. Conclusions This study is a novel amalgam of multilevel interdisciplinary strategies to translate highly efficacious therapies to low-income federally-funded health centers that care for patients who carry a disproportionate burden of CVD, type 2 diabetes and uncontrolled CVD risk factors. The impact of such a community clinic-based intervention is potentially enormous.

In November 2013, the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), announced the creation of the Global Advisory Panel on the Future of Nursing (GAPFON) to establish a voice and vision for the future of nursing and midwifery that will advance global health. The composition of the panel, first convened in March 2014, was purposeful in nature to ensure that the voices at the table represented individual expertise and experience from diverse backgrounds. Key issues identified at this inaugural meeting included the need for reform, advocacy, and innovations in leadership, policy, practice, education, and work environments. While the specific context through which these efforts will be addressed is nursing and midwifery, recognition of the interprofessional and collaborative nature of the world's healthcare needs and systems was kept at the forefront of all discussions. GAPFON intends to demonstrate how nursing and midwifery can contribute to strengthening health systems and attaining global health goals through the exchange of ideas and experiences across the different regions of the world. GAPFON is designed to be a catalyst to stimulate partnerships and collaborations to advance global health outcomes, and is a vehicle for thought leaders to share information, develop and influence policy, and advance interprofessional efforts toward those goals.Health professions from across disciplines have helped direct, define, and advance public health-and the role of health practitioners within public health-around the world for decades, establishing the current model for global health. As a result, health promotion policies and processes have been established, diseases have been mitigated, access to care has been facilitated, and a notion of "shared responsibility" for the world's health has been realized. Nursing and midwifery have played a key role in the innovation and cohesion required to establish, sustain, and implement this model of global health.As healthcare demands predicate the need for enhanced and/or new models of global health, nurses, midwives, and our healthcare colleagues from all professions need to bring a clear voice and vision for the future of global health. This is especially important as we address the United Nation's Millennial Development Goals (MDGs; United Nations, 2014), and also support the emerging Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs; United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Sustainable Development, 2014) as part of the post-2015 agenda.As with other healthcare professionals, nurses believe in and support the idea that an investment in health results in an enormous payoff, and that in our collective lifetimes, a grand convergence in health is within reach (Jamison et al., 2013). Additionally, globalization, in all its facets-economic, technological, and cultural- has created a world market for the nursing workforce (Shaffer, 2014). Opportunities continue to grow for nurses and midwives to have a strong role in shaping health at the policy and practice levels, even as challenges present themselves: demand for nurses exceeds supply; nursing and midwifery education and regulation differs across borders; and task shifting and sharing are increasing as some traditional nursing work is being undertaken by healthcare generalists that are less costly to employ. GAPFON recognizes all the possibilities for nursing to have an inclusive voice worldwide, to overcome barriers, and to help create a new narrative for nursing and a model for global health.With the support of Pfizer, Inc., our Founding Sponsor, and Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, in 2015 and 2016, GAPFON will address its core mission by convening a series of meetings in seven global regions:* Middle East (April 2015)* Asia/Oceania (June 2015)* The Caribbean (July 2015)* Central-Latin America (July 2015)* Africa (July 2016)* Europe (2016)* North America (2016)Each meeting will convene thought and action leaders from a variety of disciplines, including ministers of health, representatives from key nursing and midwifery associations, educational institutions, economists, regulatory bodies, other health professionals or health industries, pharmaceutical companies, and governmental leaders that are influential in global health. …

In a pretest-posttest panel survey of 595 eligible Maryland physicians practicing family or general medicine, internal medicine, cardiology, or nephrology, perceptions of consensus reports designed to alter medical practice are examined. On a 7-point scale, physicians reported positive or neutral views of descriptors, most favorably rating credible (mean = 2.25) and reliable (mean = 2.41), and least favorably rating biased (mean = 3.79). In a regression analysis of factors influencing changes in practice behavior congruent with consensus recommendations before and 1 year after the release of a consensus report on hypertension (8), these perceptions were not significant determinants. The strongest predictor of congruent practice behavior a year after the report was published was congruent practice behavior just prior to the report's release, and the second strongest predictor was perceived influence of the report's sources/sponsors.

Many Korean American persons have hypertension, but competing life priorities often prevent them from attending health-promotion educational activities. Using principles of community-based participatory research, the authors conducted a prospective clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of a mailed vs an in-class culturally tailored education intervention. A total of 380 hypertensive Korean American persons from the Baltimore/Washington area were assigned to a more intense in-class education group or a less intensive mail education group. Evaluation of postintervention blood pressure (BP) outcomes revealed that significant reductions in systolic BP (13.3 mm Hg and 16.1 mm Hg, respectively) and diastolic BP (9.5 mm Hg and 10.9 mm Hg) and increases in BP control rates (42.3% and 54.3%) were achieved in both groups. No significant differences in BP outcomes between groups, however, were found. In conclusion, education by mail was an effective strategy for improving BP control and may be a viable approach for other immigrant groups if the education materials address their cultural needs.

Since the recommendations for blood pressure measurement in humans were published,1 questions have been raised regarding the recommendations for cuff sizes in subjects with obese arms and how the width of the cuffs should relate to the length.2 In the 1993 recommendations,3 the largest recommended bladder width was 20 cm, whereas in the latest version it is 16 cm (Table). View this table: 1993 and 2005 Recommendations for Cuff Sizes in Obese and Overweight Subjects The 2005 document stated that, “the ‘ideal’ cuff should have a bladder length that is 80%, and a width that is at least 40% of arm circumference (a length to width ratio of 2:1). A recent study comparing intra-arterial and auscultatory blood pressure concluded that the error is minimized with a cuff width of 46% of the arm circumference.” The study that examined this issue was published by Marks and Groch,4 who measured blood pressure directly from the radial artery and indirectly from the brachial artery in 50 subjects who were in an intensive care unit and had intra-arterial lines as part of their routine care. The average arm circumference of these patients was 29.7 cm, and the published figure show that the highest circumference was 37 cm. Thus, only 2 of their 50 patients had arm circumferences in the 35 to 44 cm range, and none had circumferences …

African American men with hypertension (HTN) in low socioeconomic urban environments continue to achieve poor rates of HTN control.In a 5-year randomized clinical trial with 309 hypertensive urban African American men aged 21 to 54 years, the effectiveness of a more intensive educational/behavioral/pharmacologic intervention provided by a nurse practitioner/community health worker/physician team was compared to less intensive information and referral intervention. Changes in behavioral factors, health care utilization, blood pressure (BP) control, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), and renal insufficiency were evaluated.Follow-up rates exceeded 89% of available men. The ranges of mean annual systolic BP/diastolic BP change from the baseline to each year follow-up were -3.7 to -10.1/-4.9 to -12.3 mm Hg for the more intensive group and +3.4 to -3.0/-1.8 to -8.7 mm Hg for the less intensive group. The annual proportion of men with controlled BP (140/90 mm Hg) ranged from 17% to 44% in the more intensive group and 21% to 36% in the less intensive group. At 5 years the more intensive group had less LVH than the less intensive group and 17% of the men were deceased primarily due to narcotic or alcohol intoxication (36%) and cardiovascular causes (19%).An appropriate educational/behavioral intervention significantly improved BP control and reduced some sequelae of HTN in a young African American male population. Improvement in risk factors other than HTN was limited and sustained control of HTN was difficult to maintain during 5 years.

In 181 urban African Americans with Type 2 diabetes, medication adherence was assessed using a measure designed specifically for an urban, impoverished sociodemographic population. Hemoglobin A-sub(1c), blood pressure and cholesterol levels, medication-related beliefs, and depression were assessed. Seventy-four percent of the sample reported adherence to diabetes medication. Adherence, adjusted for age, was associated with lower hemoglobin A-sub(1c). The specific behaviors associated with poorer diabetes control were forgetting to take medications and running out of medications. Knowledge of blood glucose goals differed for adherers and nonadherers. Blood pressure and cholesterol medication adherence rates were not associated with actual levels of blood pressure or lipids, respectively. These data suggest that specific medication-taking behaviors are important to diabetes control and constitute logical targets for interventions. ((c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved).