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Centre-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs were disrupted and urged to adopt telehealth modes of delivery during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Previously established telehealth services may have faced increased demand. This study aimed to investigate a) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on CR attendance/completion, b) clinical outcomes of patients with cardiovascular (CV) diseases referred to CR and, c) how regional and rural centre-based services converted to a telehealth delivery during this time.A cohort of patients living in regional and rural Australia, referred to an established telehealth-based or centre-based CR services during COVID-19 first wave, were prospectively followed-up, for ≥90 days (February to June 2020). Cardiac rehabilitation attendance/completion and a composite of CV re-admissions and deaths were compared to a historical control group referred in the same period in 2019. The impact of mode of delivery (established telehealth service versus centre-based CR) was analysed through a competitive risk model. The adaption of centre-based CR services to telehealth was assessed via a cross-sectional survey.1,954 patients (1,032 referred during COVID-19 and 922 pre-COVID-19) were followed-up for 161 (interquartile range 123-202) days. Mean age was 68 (standard deviation 13) years and 68% were male. Referrals to the established telehealth program did not differ during (24%) and pre-COVID-19 (23%). Although all 10 centre-based services surveyed adopted telehealth, attendance (46.6% vs 59.9%; p0.001) and completion (42.4% vs 75.4%; p0.001) was significantly lower during COVID-19. Referral during vs pre-COVID-19 (sub hazard ratio [SHR] 0.77; 95% CI 0.68-0.87), and to a centre-based program compared to the established telehealth service (SHR 0.66; 95% CI 0.58-0.76) decreased the likelihood of CR uptake.An established telehealth service and rapid adoption of telehealth by centre-based programs enabled access to CR in regional and rural Australia during COVID-19. However, further development of the newly implemented telehealth models is needed to promote CR attendance and completion.

Aims This review aimed to investigate the effectiveness of nurse-led interventions vs. usual care on hypertension management, lifestyle behaviour, and patients’ knowledge of hypertension and associated risk factors. Methods A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines. MEDLINE (Ovid), EmCare (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), Cochrane library, and ProQuest (Ovid) were searched from inception to 15 February 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effect of nurse-led interventions on hypertension management were identified. Title and abstract, full text screening, assessment of methodological quality, and data extraction were conducted by two independent reviewers using JBI tools. A statistical meta-analysis was conducted using STATA version 17.0. Results A total of 37 RCTs and 9731 participants were included. The overall pooled data demonstrated that nurse-led interventions may reduce systolic blood pressure (mean difference −4.66; 95% CI −6.69, −2.64; I2 = 83.32; 31 RCTs; low certainty evidence) and diastolic blood pressure (mean difference −1.91; 95% CI −3.06, −0.76; I2 = 79.35; 29 RCTs; low certainty evidence) compared with usual care. The duration of interventions contributed to the magnitude of blood pressure reduction. Nurse-led interventions had a positive impact on lifestyle behaviour and effectively modified diet and physical activity, but the effect on smoking and alcohol consumption was inconsistent. Conclusion This review revealed the beneficial effects of nurse-led interventions in hypertension management compared with usual care. Integration of nurse-led interventions in routine hypertension treatment and prevention services could play an important role in alleviating the rising global burden of hypertension. Registration PROSPERO: CRD42021274900

Aims The aim of this study is to report on the development and evaluation of the co-designed website for delivering interactive self-directed cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Methods and results Multi-method user experience design framework was used to co-design the web application and complete usability testing. Participants were recruited based on their eligibility for CR. Thematic analysis collected the participants’ design specifications and lived experiences. The System Usability Scale (SUS) was administered at the completion of the website development and the usability testing workshops. This collected the participants’ perceptions of the website’s effectiveness, efficiency, and their satisfaction. Website development and usability testing workshops included 39 and 35 participants with a mean age of 66.5 (SD 11.7) and 68.6 (SD 11.2), respectively. Both genders were equally represented across both workshops with 19 (48.7%) and 16 (45.7%) women. Workshop themes guided the design process. The mean SUS scores increased from 66.7 (SD 16.8) to 73.6 (21), P = 0.26. Easiness of use (P = 0.03), integration of the website functions (P ≤ 0.001), and consistency (P = 0.038) significantly improved from website development to usability testing. The proportion of participants rating it as excellent increased from 20.5% to 42.9%, P = 0.11. Conclusion The evolution of our CR website development was completed with an improvement in usability. Upcoming evaluation of this intervention will report on its effectiveness.

Aims To consolidate the evidence on the effectiveness of activity-monitoring devices and mobile applications on physical activity and health outcomes of patients with cardiovascular disease who attended cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programmes. Methods and results An umbrella review of published randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses was conducted. Nine databases were searched from inception to 9 February 2022. Search and data extraction followed the JBI methodology for umbrella reviews and PRISMA guidelines. Nine systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria, comparing outcomes of participants in CR programmes utilizing devices/applications, to patients without access to CR with devices/applications. A wide range of physical, clinical, and behavioural outcomes were reported, with results from 18 712 participants. Meta-analyses reported improvements in physical activity, minutes/week [standardized mean difference (SMD) 0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.10–0.35] and activity levels (SMD 0.29, 95% CI 0.07–0.51), and a reduction in sedentariness [risk ratio (RR) 0.54, 95% CI 0.39–0.75] in CR participants, compared with usual care. Of clinical outcomes, the risk of re-hospitalization reduced significantly (RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.27–0.89), and there was reduction (non-significant) in mortality (RR 0.27, 95% CI 0.05–1.54). From the behavioural outcomes, reviews reported improvements in smoking behaviour (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.67–1.13) and total diet quality intake (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.66–0.94) among CR patients. Conclusions The use of devices/applications was associated with increase in activity, healthy behaviours, and reductions in clinical indicators. Although most effect sizes indicate limited clinical benefits, the broad consistency of the narrative suggests devices/applications are effective at improving CR patients’ outcomes.

The objective of this review is to measure the effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation programs versus standard care on medication adherence in patients with cardiovascular disease.Poor adherence to long-term medications increases the risk of morbidity and mortality, and decreases quality of life in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Several strategies have been trialed to improve medication adherence, one of which is cardiac rehabilitation programs. Although evidence has indicated that such programs increase medication adherence, the extent of their effectiveness and translation into clinical practice is not well documented. Our systematic review will collect and analyze the available evidence for clinical practice implementation.The search will aim to locate randomized controlled trials. Where randomized controlled trials are not available, quasi-experimental studies, case-control studies, observational studies, and other study designs will be included. Studies that measure effectiveness of cardiac rehabilitation programs compared with standard care on medication adherence in cardiovascular disease patients will be included.Databases, including MEDLINE (Ovid), Emcare (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), Cochrane CENTRAL, Scopus, CINAHL (EBSCO), and unpublished sources will be searched. Articles in English and non-English-language articles with an English abstract, published from database inception to the present, will be included. Articles will be screened and reviewed by 2 independent reviewers for inclusion. Critical appraisal tools will be applied to the included studies. Data will be extracted using the appropriate extraction tools and synthesized for the objectives of the study.PROSPERO CRD42021284705.

IntroductionDespite extensive evidence of its benefits and recommendation by guidelines, cardiac rehabilitation (CR) remains highly underused with only 20%–50% of eligible patients participating. We aim to implement and evaluate the Country Heart Attack Prevention (CHAP) model of care to improve CR attendance and completion for rural and remote participants.Methods and analysisCHAP will apply the model for large-scale knowledge translation to develop and implement a model of care to CR in rural Australia. Partnering with patients, clinicians and health service managers, we will codevelop new approaches and refine/expand existing ones to address known barriers to CR attendance. CHAP will codesign a web-based CR programme with patients expanding their choices to CR attendance. To increase referral rates, CHAP will promote endorsement of CR among clinicians and develop an electronic system that automatises referrals of in-hospital eligible patients to CR. A business model that includes reimbursement of CR delivered in primary care by Medicare will enable sustainable access to CR. To promote CR quality improvement, professional development interventions and an accreditation programme of CR services and programmes will be developed. To evaluate 12-month CR attendance/completion (primary outcome), clinical and cost-effectiveness (secondary outcomes) between patients exposed (n=1223) and not exposed (n=3669) to CHAP, we will apply a multidesign approach that encompasses a prospective cohort study, a pre-post study and a comprehensive economic evaluation.Ethics and disseminationThis study was approved by the Southern Adelaide Clinical Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/20/SAC/78) and by the Department for Health and Wellbeing Human Research Ethics Committee (2021/HRE00270), which approved a waiver of informed consent. Findings and dissemination to patients and clinicians will be through a public website, online educational sessions and scientific publications. Deidentified data will be available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Trial registration numberACTRN12621000222842.

Person-centred care advocates for co-design of all healthcare services and research interventions by the end-user. Co-design is widely used, but the methodological approaches, evaluation, and reporting of outcomes are often poorly defined. One methodology for co-design is the User Experience Design which provides guidance and theoretical frameworks to inform development and reporting measures. This article outlines the application of this approach in the development of a web-based cardiac rehabilitation program and reports on the very positive experiences of the patients involved in the process and how their input strategically influenced outcomes.

Aim This paper provides an overview of the two broad categories of cardiac conditions observed in pregnancy (congenital and acquired). It also identifies the midwives' role in the childbirth continuum and includes assessment, track and trigger systems and management during labour and delivery. Design Discussion paper. Methods Data were collected by reviewing international evidence and by searching computerized databases. Results Research has identified that women with associated risk factors of a cardiac condition who delay pregnancy have an increased risk of experiencing cardiovascular complications in pregnancy with poorer outcomes. The Three Ps in a Pod clinical initiative in the United Kingdom highlights working as a team in multidisciplinary programmes to improve mothers' care and save lives. Midwives play a key role during pregnancy and need to be appraised in relation to cardiovascular disease observed in pregnancy, its potential risks and anticipated problems and within the continuum of care.

In this study, we examined the effectiveness of a self-management intervention delivered to people with heart failure in Vietnam. It used teach-back, a cyclical method of teaching content, checking comprehension, and re-teaching to improve understanding. A single-site cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted, and six hospital wards were randomized into two study groups. On the basis of ward allocation, 140 participants received either usual care or the teach-back heart failure self-management intervention plus usual care. The intervention involved, prior to discharge, an individual educational session on heart failure self-care, with understanding reinforced using teach-back, a heart failure booklet, weighing scales, diary, and a follow-up phone call 2 weeks post-discharge. The control group received usual care and the booklet. Outcomes were heart failure knowledge, self-care (maintenance, management and confidence), and all-cause hospitalizations assessed at 1 and 3 months (end-point). Upon completion of the study, the intervention group had significantly greater knowledge and self-care maintenance than the control group. Other outcomes did not differ between the two groups. The teach-back self-management intervention demonstrated promising benefits in promoting self-care for heart failure patients.

Background: Adverse events occur in health care. Detection and reporting of deterioration therefore have a critical role to play. Patient and family member (consumer) involvement in patient safety has gained powerful support amongst global policymakers. Few studies, with none taking a rigorous qualitative approach, have drawn upon consumers’ experiences to establish their preferences in consumer reporting of patient deterioration programmes. Objective: To explore consumers’ experiences of previous reporting of patient deterioration; their preferred educational strategies on this role and recommended pathways in a consumer reporting of patient deterioration model. Design, setting and participants: An interpretive, qualitative research design was utilized. Nine focus group interviews were undertaken across Adelaide, capital city of South Australia. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed and analysed thematically. Twenty-six adults described, then reflected, on previous experiences of reporting patient deterioration. Results: Overarching themes incorporated consumers’ experiences and patient/family education. Three themes emerged in relation to consumers’ experiences: feelings, thoughts and actions. Five themes arose on educating consumers: content, timing, format, information providers and information recipients. The consumers’ deep reflections on their past reporting experiences led to the development of a new model for consumer reporting of patient deterioration. Conclusions: Consumers’ views on ways to improve consumer reporting of patient deterioration processes emerged. These improvements include structured educational programmes for staff advocating open health-care professional/consumer communication, educational materials developed and tested with English-speaking and culturally and linguistically diverse consumers and a model with three consumer reporting pathways. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

© 2019 Versace et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Objective To identity differences between a general access index (Accessibility/ Remoteness Index of Australia; ARIA+) and a specific acute and aftercare cardiac services access index (Cardiac ARIA). Research design and methods Exploratory descriptive design. ARIA+ (2011) and Cardiac ARIA (2010) were compared using cross-tabulations (chi-square test for independence) and map visualisations. All Australian locations with ARIA+ and Cardiac ARIA values were included in the analysis (n = 20,223). The unit of analysis was Australian locations. Results Of the 20,223 locations, 2757 (14% of total) had the highest level of acute cardiac access coupled with the highest level of general access. There were 1029 locations with the poorest access (5% of total). Approximately two thirds of locations in Australia were classed as having the highest level of cardiac aftercare. Locations in Major Cities, Inner Regional Australia, and Outer Regional Australia accounted for approximately 98% of this category. There were significant associations between ARIA+ and Cardiac ARIA acute (χ2 = 25250.73, df = 28, p

Background/aim Cardiotoxicity is a potential complication of anticancer therapy. While guidelines have been developed to assist practitioners, an effective, evidence based clinical pathway for the treatment of cardiotoxicity has not yet been developed. The aim of this study was to describe the journey of patients who developed cardiotoxicity through the healthcare system in order to establish baseline data to inform the development and implementation of a patient-centred, evidence-based clinical pathway. Methods Mixed-methods design with quantitative and qualitative components using process mapping at 3 large medical centres in 2 states between 2010 and 2015. Results Fifty (50) confirmed cases of cardiotoxicity were reviewed (39 medical record reviews, 7 medical record review and interviews and 4 internview only). The mean age at cancer diagnosis of this group was 53.3 years (range 6–89 years); 50% female; 30% breast cancer, 23% non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; mean chemotherapy cycles 5.2 (median 6; range 1–18); 49 (89%) presented to chemotherapy with pre-existing cardiovascular risk factors; 39 (85%) had at least one modifiable risk factor and 11 (24%) had more than 4; 44 (96%) were diagnosed by echocardiogram and 27 (57%) were referred to a cardiologist (only 7 (15%) before chemotherapy). Post chemotherapy, 22 (48%) patients were referred to a multidisciplinary heart failure clinic; 8 (17%) to cardiac rehabilitation; 1 (2%) to cancer survivorship clinic and 10 (22%) to a palliative care service. There were 16 (34%) deaths during the timeframe of the study; 4 (25%) cardiac-related, 6 (38%) cancer-related, 4 (25%) due to sepsis and 2 (12%) other causes not recorded. The main concerns participants raised during the interviews were cancer professionals not discussing the potential for cardiotoxicity with them prior to treatment, nor risk modification strategies; a need for health education, particularly regarding risks for developing heart failure related to cancer treatment; and a lack of collaboration between oncologists and cardiologists. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the clinical management of cancer patients with cardiotoxicity was variable and fragmented and not patient centered. This audit establishes practice gaps that can be addressed through the design of an evidence-based clinical pathway for cancer patients with, or at risk, of cardiotoxicity. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40959-019-0046-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Activity monitoring devices are currently being used to facilitate and monitor physical activity. No prior review has examined adherence to the use of activity monitoring devices amongst adults with cardiovascular disease. Methods Literature from June 2012 to October 2017 was evaluated to examine the extent of adherence to any activity monitoring device used to collect objective physical activity data. Randomized control trials comparing usual care against the use of an activity monitoring device, in a community intervention for adults from any cardiovascular diagnostic group, were included. A systematic search of databases and clinical trials registers was conducted using Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Results Of 10 eligible studies, two studies reported pedometer use and eight accelerometer use. Six studies addressed the primary outcome. Mean adherence was 59.1% (range 39.6% to 85.7%) at last follow-up. Studies lacked equal representation by gender (28.6% female) and age (range 42 to 82 years). Conclusion This review indicates that current research on activity monitoring devices may be overstated due to the variability in adherence. Results showed that physical activity tracking in women and in young adults have been understudied.

In a series of studies over the past decade we have measured the effectiveness of telehealth for elderly heart failure patients (gt;70 years) on rehospitalisation, mortality, adherence, satisfaction, cost effectiveness, health related quality of life, age and types of technology.Evidence has been derived from a Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis (1 original and 2 updates: 2007-2016), two sub-analysis of this data and a large NHMRC funded multicentre randomised controlled trial (CHAT study 2010).Within the studies included in the meta-analysis the mean age was 70 or more years in eight of the 16 (n=2,659/5,613; 47%) involving structured telephone support studies and four of the 11 (n=894/2,710; 33%) Telemonitoring studies. Structured telephone support (RR 0.80; 95% CI=0.63-1.00) and Telemonitoring (RR 0.56; 95% CI=0.41-0.76) interventions reduced mortality. Structured telephone support interventions reduced heart failure-related hospitalizations (RR 0.81; 95% CI=0.67-0.99). Four different types of non-invasive remote monitoring technologies were identified, including structured telephone calls, videophone, interactive voice response devices, and Telemonitoring. Structured telephone calls and Telemonitoring were effective in reducing the risk of all-cause mortality (relative risk [RR]=0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75-1.01; p=0.06; and RR=0.62; 95% CI, 0.50-0.77; plt;0.0001, respectively) and heart failure-related hospitalizations (RR=0.77; 95% CI, 0.68-0.87;plt;0.001; and RR=0.75; 95% CI, 0.63-0.91; p=0.003, respectively). Videophone and interactive voice response technologies were not effective. Only 3% of this elderly group (mean age 74.7+/-9.3 years) were unable to learn or competently use the technology. Adherence was reported between 55.1%and 98.5%. Participant satisfaction with Telehealth was reported between 76% and 97%.These studies show that elderly patients can adapt quickly to telehealth, find its use an acceptable part of their healthcare routine, and are able to maintain good adherence for at least 12 months. These findings support the use of telehealth as part of a comprehensive chronic heart failure management programme.goes here.

Aims Heart failure (HF) patients are taught to identify a rapid 5 lb body‐weight gain for early detection of cardiac decompensation. Few data support this common advice. The study aim was to determine whether a 5 lb weight gain in 1 week and signs and symptoms of HF increased risk for unplanned physician or emergency department (ED) visits or hospital admission in rural HF patients. Methods and results This was a secondary analysis of a randomized trial. Patients tracked body weight and HF symptoms using diaries. We included patients adherent to daily diaries >50% over 24 months (N = 119). Mean age was 69 ± 11 years; 77% (65) were male, and 67% completed diaries. A weight gain of 5 lb over 7 days was associated with a greater risk for ED visits but not hospital admission [hazard ratio (HR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04, 1.08; P

Background Access to cardiac services is essential for appropriate implementation of evidence-based therapies to improve outcomes. The Cardiac Accessibility and Remoteness Index for Australia (Cardiac ARIA) aimed to derive an objective, geographic measure reflecting access to cardiac services. Methods and Results An expert panel defined an evidence-based clinical pathway. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the team developed a numeric/alphabetic index at 2 points along the continuum of care. The acute category (numeric) measured the time from the emergency call to arrival at an appropriate medical facility via road ambulance. The aftercare category (alphabetic) measured access to 4 basic services (family doctor, pharmacy, cardiac rehabilitation, and pathology services) when a patient returned to his or her community. The numeric index ranged from 1 (access to principal referral center with cardiac catheterization service ≤1 hour) to 8 (no ambulance service, >3 hours to medical facility, air transport required). The alphabetic index ranged from A (all 4 services available within a 1-hour drive-time) to E (no services available within 1 hour). The panel found that 13.9 million Australians (71%) resided within Cardiac ARIA 1A locations (hospital with cardiac catheterization laboratory and all aftercare within 1 hour). Those outside Cardiac 1A were overrepresented by people >65 years of age (32%) and indigenous people (60%). Conclusions The Cardiac ARIA index demonstrated substantial inequity in access to cardiac services in Australia. This methodology can be used to inform cardiology health service planning and could be applied to other common disease states within other regions of the world.

Introduction: Attention to symptoms of weight gain and dyspnea are central tenets in heart failure (HF) patient education. Daily diary use can be one method for HF patients to acknowledge and attend to their symptoms. However, it is not known whether diary use improves patient outcomes. We aimed to compare mortality among rural HF patients who did versus did not complete a daily diary of weight and symptom self-assessment. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of a 3-arm randomized controlled trial with two intervention groups (Fluid Watchers LITE and PLUS) and usual care. The two intervention groups were given daily diaries for 2 years to track daily weight, HF symptoms, and response to symptom changes. Intervention group patients received self-care education and a script to call their health care provider, but the 2 groups varied on the number of follow-up phone calls received. Patient groups were categorized by duration of adherence to diary use: None, Low (1-3 months), Medium (4-12 months), and High (13-24 months). Cox regression analysis assessed survival from cardiac and non-cardiac death for 2 years while controlling for age and depression. Results: The mean age was 66 ± 13, 58% (n=227) were male, and 67% (264/393) completed diaries with no difference in diary use between the 2 intervention groups. As compared with the 129 patients with no diary use, the 117 patients with High diary use had fewer non-cardiac (p=0.001) and cardiac (p=0.01) deaths; the 89 patients with Medium diary use had fewer non-cardiac deaths (p=0.007) but similar cardiac deaths (p=0.79). Conclusions: This is the largest trial to examine daily diary use in HF patients over 2 years. Improved non-cardiac survival was associated with at least 4 months of diary use, while cardiac survival was associated with at least 12 months of diary use. It is unclear why non-cardiac survival improved, but it is speculated that attention to cardiac symptoms may have increased attention to non-cardiac symptoms.

Introduction: Health care providers regularly counsel heart failure (HF) patients to monitor symptoms and weight changes daily in order to detect and quickly treat HF exacerbations. We found diary use is associated with higher survival rates in chronic HF patients; however, the factors related to diary use are unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with diary use. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of a 3-arm randomized controlled trial among rural HF patients with two intervention groups (Fluid Watchers LITE and PLUS) and usual care. The two intervention groups were asked to use daily diaries for 2 years to track weight, HF symptoms, and response to symptom changes. The intervention groups received education on HF self-care and a script to call their health care provider; however, the 2 groups varied on the number of follow-up phone calls received. Patient groups were categorized by duration of adherence to diary use: None, Low (1-3 months), Medium (4-12 months), and High (13-24 months). Multivariable ordinal logistic regression using step-wise forward selection was conducted to determine factors that were associated with diary use. Results: Patients were 66 ± 13 years old, 58% were male, and 50% had systolic HF with 67% (N=264/393) of patients who completed diaries. After controlling for age, depression, and death in the multivariable logistic ordinal regression, depression (OR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92-0.98; P=0.002) and sedentary lifestyle (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.42-0.89; P=.01) were associated with less diary use. In contrast, older age (OR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.07-2.3; P=.02) and HF self-care (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.06; P=.01) were associated with more diary use. Conclusions: Since diary use is associated with higher survival rates in HF patients, it is important to recognize that depression and sedentary lifestyle were negatively associated with diary use whereas older age and HF self-care were positively associated with diary use. Addressing modifiable psychosocial factors may have meaningful impact on improving survival in this vulnerable population of HF patients who suffer from frequent rehospitalizations and early death related to their disease.

There is a 70% higher age-adjusted incidence of heart failure (HF) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, three times more hospitalisations and twice as many deaths as among non-Aboriginal people. There is a need to develop holistic yet individualised approaches in accord with the values of Aboriginal community health care to support patient education and self-care.b/bThe aim of this study was to re-design an existing HF educational resource (Fluid Watchers-Pacific Rim) to be culturally safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, working in collaboration with the local community, and to conduct feasibility testing.This study was conducted in two phases and utilised a mixed-methods approach (qualitative and quantitative). Phase 1 used action research methods to develop a culturally safe electronic resource to be provided to Aboriginal HF patients via a tablet computer. An HF expert panel adapted the existing resource to ensure it was evidence-based and contained appropriate language and images that reflects Aboriginal culture. A stakeholder group (which included Aboriginal workers and HF patients, as well as researchers and clinicians) then reviewed the resources, and changes were made accordingly. In Phase 2, the new resource was tested on a sample of Aboriginal HF patients to assess feasibility and acceptability. Patient knowledge, satisfaction and self-care behaviours were measured using a before and after design with validated questionnaires. As this was a pilot test to determine feasibility, no statistical comparisons were made.Phase 1: Throughout the process of resource development, two main themes emerged from the stakeholder consultation. These were the importance of identity, meaning that it was important to ensure that the resource accurately reflected the local community, with the appropriate clothing, skin tone and voice. The resource was adapted to reflect this, and members of the local community voiced the recordings for the resource. The other theme was comprehension; images were important and all text was converted to the first person and used plain language. Phase 2: Five Aboriginal participants, mean age 61.6±10.0 years, with NYHA Class III and IV heart failure were enrolled. Participants reported a high level of satisfaction with the resource (83.0%). HF knowledge (percentage of correct responses) increased from 48.0±6.7% to 58.0±9.7%, a 20.8% increase, and results of the self-care index indicated that the biggest change was in patient confidence for self-care, with a 95% increase in confidence score (46.7±16.0 to 91.1±11.5). Changes in management and maintenance scores varied between patients.By working in collaboration with HF experts, Aboriginal researchers and patients, a culturally safe HF resource has been developed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. Engaging Aboriginal researchers, capacity-building, and being responsive to local systems and structures enabled this pilot study to be successfully completed with the Aboriginal community and positive participant feedback demonstrated that the methodology used in this study was appropriate and acceptable; participants were able to engage with willingness and confidence.

To determine whether heart failure with preserved systolic function (HFPSF) has different natural history from left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD).A retrospective analysis of 10 years of data (for patients admitted between 1 July 1994 and 30 June 2004, and with a study census date of 30 June 2005) routinely collected as part of clinical practice in a large tertiary referral hospital.Sociodemographic characteristics, diagnostic features, comorbid conditions, pharmacotherapies, readmission rates and survival.Of the 2961 patients admitted with chronic heart failure, 753 had echocardiograms available for this analysis. Of these, 189 (25%) had normal left ventricular size and systolic function. In comparison to patients with LVSD, those with HFPSF were more often female (62.4% v 38.5%; P = 0.001), had less social support, and were more likely to live in nursing homes (17.9% v 7.6%; P0.001), and had a greater prevalence of renal impairment (86.7% v 6.2%; P = 0.004), anaemia (34.3% v 6.3%; P = 0.013) and atrial fibrillation (51.3% v 47.1%; P = 0.008), but significantly less ischaemic heart disease (53.4% v 81.2%; P = 0.001). Patients with HFPSF were less likely to be prescribed an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (61.9% v 72.5%; P = 0.008); carvedilol was used more frequently in LVSD (1.5% v 8.8%; P0.001). Readmission rates were higher in the HFPSF group (median, 2 v 1.5 admissions; P = 0.032), particularly for malignancy (4.2% v 1.8%; P0.001) and anaemia (3.9% v 2.3%; P0.001). Both groups had the same poor survival rate (P = 0.912).Patients with HFPSF were predominantly older women with less social support and higher readmission rates for associated comorbid illnesses. We therefore propose that reduced survival in HFPSF may relate more to comorbid conditions than suboptimal cardiac management.

To highlight the registration issues for nurses who wish to practice nationally, particularly those practicing within the telehealth sector.As part of a national clinical research study, applications were made to every state and territory for mutual recognition of nursing registration and fee waiver for telenursing cross border practice for a period of three years. These processes are described using a case study approach.The aim of this case study was to achieve registration in every state and territory of Australia without paying multiple fees by using mutual recognition provisions and the cross-border fee waiver policy of the nurse regulatory authorities in order to practice telenursing.Mutual recognition and fee waiver for cross-border practice was granted unconditionally in two states: Victoria (Vic) and Tasmania (Tas), and one territory: the Northern Territory (NT). The remainder of the Australian states and territories would only grant temporary registration for the period of the project or not at all, due to policy restrictions or nurse regulatory authority (NRA) Board decisions. As a consequence of gaining fee waiver the annual cost of registration was a maximum of dollars 145 per annum as opposed to the potential dollars 959 for initial registration and dollars 625 for annual renewal.Having eight individual nurses Acts and NRAs for a population of 265,000 nurses would clearly indicate a case for over regulation in this country. The structure of regulation of nursing in Australia is a barrier to the changing and evolving role of nurses in the 21st century and a significant factor when considering workforce planning.