Search

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship among unmet care needs, social support, and anxiety in patients with lung transplantation. We conducted a cross-sectional study; 173 lung transplant patients who met the inclusion criteria completed questionnaires including the Organ Transplant Recipient Care Needs Scale, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the Anxiety Self-Rating Inventory. Pearson's correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the relationship between the selected variables. The results showed a moderate level of unmet care needs at home for lung transplant patients. Education level, transplant-related complications, perceived social support, and anxiety were significantly correlated with unmet care needs of lung transplant patients at home (p <.05), explaining 23.8% of the total variance for unmet care needs. Further research is required to explore interventions to reduce the level of unmet care needs of lung transplant patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic pain is associated with high levels of psychological distress, which can have implications for general functioning, acceptance, quality of life, and compliance with health-promoting behaviour. This study explored the association between pain-related factors and psychological distress in a sample of patients with long lasting temporomandibular disorder (TMD). In this cross-sectional study design, psychological distress was measured in 133 Norwegian patients with long lasting and severe TMD. Participants completed a survey including the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS), and questions about pain intensity, pain duration, catastrophizing, and causal attributions of their TMD symptoms along with a clinical interdisciplinary investigation. Higher levels of catastrophizing were associated with psychological distress. Pain intensity was associated with psychological distress in the unadjusted model, but not when controlling for the other variables. The majority attributed their TMD symptoms to physical factors. The findings support psychological interventions aimed at reducing catastrophizing in treatment of TMD. However, the patients emphasized physical causes for their TMD symptoms, suggesting that psychological interventions alone are not sufficient. The findings support a multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of TMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To test a theoretically and empirically supported model of the relationships among percent truncal fat (truncal obesity); disease severity (carbon monoxide diffusing capacity [DLCO]); symptoms (dyspnea); functional capacity (6-min walk test distance); and functional performance (functional performance index) of elderly people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Design and Method: A model of functional performance was proposed using a multidimensional framework as expounded by Leidy, and incorporating Wilson and Cleary's model for the relationship between symptoms and functional status. Path analysis was used to examine the relationships among variables. The researchers used a descriptive, cross-sectional design. Subjects were phone screened and completed electrocardiography, physical examination, spirometry testing, and a 4-min walk test as part of initial screening. Enrolled subjects completed a whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scan to measure truncal obesity, 6-min walk test, upper body functional performance test, and questionnaires. Subjects were grouped into normal weight, overweight, or obese according to body mass index. Results: The sample consisted of 76 people 55 years of age and older with mild to severe COPD. Percent truncal fat (truncal obesity) did not affect functional performance directly, but did affect it indirectly through dyspnea. The 6-min walk test distance, dyspnea, and DLCO accounted for 29% of the variability in functional performance. Conclusions: We believe that the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation will be enhanced when nurses consider weight loss as a controllable factor for overweight and obese clients. The increasing prevalence of obesity in this population may dictate collaboration between dieticians and pulmonary rehabilitation nurses for effective rehabilitation programs. Clinical Relevance: These findings suggest that percent truncal fat (truncal obesity) may be an indirect factor in the performance of daily activities of people with COPD. We anticipate that clinicians will use knowledge derived from this study to develop interventions to reduce or minimize truncal fat (truncal obesity) and its effects on people with COPD. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2012; 00:0, 1-10. ©2012 Sigma Theta Tau International. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The chronic respiratory disease questionnaire (CRQ) has been validated and proved useful in assessing therapies for pulmonary diseases. We translated the CRQ into a Taiwan (Mandarin Chinese) version and surveyed its validity and reliability. Methods: The CRQ includes 20 items divided into four domains: dyspnea, fatigue, emotional function, and mastery. We followed a forward-back translation procedure to create the Taiwan version. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Participants underwent tests including the CRQ, the medical outcomes study short form (SF-36), the St. George respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ), lung function tests (LFTs), and a graded exercise test (GET). We used Cronbach's alpha to evaluate the internal consistency of the CRQ, intraclass coefficient for test-retest reliability, and Spearman's correlation for validity. Results: Thirty-six men and 4 women (mean age 67.9 ± 9.9 years) were recruited. Evidence of good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent, discriminant, concurrent, and construct validity of the CRQ was shown. Spearman's correlation showed moderate-to-strong correlation between the CRQ scores and scores of the SGRQ, subscales of the SF-36, and the results of LFTs and GET. Conclusions: The Taiwan version of the CRQ shows good validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is the second most common reason for liver transplants among women in the USA. While survival rates are high, there is evidence of persistent problems post-transplant. This study aimed to identify significant contributors to quality of life (QOL) for women with PBC on waiting list (WL) and post-transplant (PT) and compare QOL in each group with US population norms. Design. A cross-sectional, two-group study design was used. Methods. WL and PT participants were recruited through medical centres and on-line. QOL was measured by the Short Form-36 and an indicator of Social QOL created for this study. A biopsychosocial model incorporating demographic, biomedical, psychological, and sociological factors guided choice of variables affecting QOL. Analyses examined (1) all factors for differences between WL and PT groups, (2) association between factors and QOL outcomes within each group, (3) multivariate regression of QOL on factors in the model for the sample as a whole, and (4) comparison of QOL outcomes with national norms. Results. One hundred women with PBC participated in the study, 25 on WL and 75 PT. Group comparisons showed improvement for PT participants in most biomedical and psychological variables and in QOL outcomes. QOL was related to many, but not all, of the variables in the model. In multivariate analysis, Fatigue, Depression, Coping, and Education - but not Transplant Status - were identified as indicators of QOL. Physical QOL improved significantly after 5 years PT, when it was no longer worse than national norms. Mental QOL remained worse than national norms despite distance in time from transplant. Conclusions. The model proved useful in identifying a range of factors that contributed to QOL for women with PBC before and after transplant. Recommendations were made for clinical practice to improve QOL through a combination of treatment and self-management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]