Search

BackgroundPatient engagement with diabetes self-care is critical to reducing morbidity and mortality. Social media is one form of digital health that is available for diabetes self-care, although its use for peer-to-peer communication has not been systematically described, and its potential to support patient self-care is unclear.ObjectiveThe primary aim of this systematic review was to describe the use of social media among patients (peer-to-peer) to manage diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The secondary aim was to assess patients' clinical outcomes, behavioral outcomes, quality of life, and self-efficacy resulting from peer-to-peer social media use.MethodsWe conducted a literature search in the following databases: PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, and PsycINFO (January 2008 through April 2019). The inclusion criteria were quantitative studies that included peer-to-peer use of social media for self-care of diabetes mellitus (with all subtypes) and CVD, including stroke.ResultsAfter an initial yield of 3066 citations, we selected 91 articles for a full-text review and identified 7 papers that met our inclusion criteria. Of these, 4 studies focused on type 1 diabetes, 1 study included both type 1 and 2 diabetes, and 2 studies included multiple chronic conditions (eg, CVD, diabetes, depression, etc). Our search did not yield any individual studies on CVD alone. Among the selected papers, 2 studies used commercial platforms (Facebook and I Seek You), 3 studies used discussion forums developed specifically for each study, and 2 surveyed patients through different platforms or blogs. There was significant heterogeneity in the study designs, methodologies, and outcomes applied, but all studies showed favorable results on either primary or secondary outcomes. The quality of studies was highly variable.ConclusionsThe future landscape of social media use for patient self-care is promising. However, current use is nascent. Our extensive search yielded only 7 studies, all of which included diabetes, indicating the most interest and demand for peer-to-peer interaction on diabetes self-care. Future research is needed to establish efficacy and safety in recommending social media use among peers for diabetes self-care and other conditions.

Dedicated rapid response teams are created to prevent clinical decline. In a review of medical records, authors examined cardio-pulmonary arrest and activation rates over 3 years following implementation of a dedicated response team. A significant decrease in cardiopulmonary arrests and increased activations was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Safely anesthetizing patients with left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) can be intimidating, particularly for novice anesthesia providers. Given the variety of complex issues anesthesia providers may encounter with patients, it would be impractical to expect expertise in every population. To combat the inevitable loss of knowledge, education experts recommend active learning techniques, including test-enhanced learning, active recall, and spaced repetition. To that end, this research team created an LVAD Assessment for Anesthesia, or LAmA tool, to be evaluated for content validity by eight experts. The LAmA tool and content validity assessment were distributed to two anesthesiologists and four nurse anesthetists in the cardiothoracic anesthesia department at a hospital in Northeast Ohio, as well as to two outside nursing research experts. Results were analyzed by the research team and the content validity index (CVI) was determined. A CVI of at least 0.875 was required for the tool to be valid, and final scores in the categories of relevance, clarity, and importance were all ≥ 0.9. The data from the validated tool were used to create a pocket reference on LVAD anesthetic management. Both educational assessments and pocket references have the potential to positively im [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs mediate the physical and emotional impact of cardiac events. Women are less likely to be referred to and complete CR programs than men resulting in poorer cardiac outcomes. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study examined women's reasons and barriers for attending and completing a CR program. Findings suggest women choose to complete CR programs based on their experiences while attending the program. Discussions of strategies for enrolling women and maximizing their experiences are identified as well as areas of future research for improving women's experiences of cardiac rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) can result in life-threatening complications, including stroke and heart attack. Many FMD patients complain of feeling like they are living with a "ticking time bomb". Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of FMD symptoms and complications on quality of life, anxiety, and depression. Methods: A cross-sectional design was conducted. Patients in an FMD registry were mailed surveys (n = 339). SF-36 scale, PROMIS SF Anxiety and Depression scores were compared to symptoms and complications of FMD, and other diseases. Analysis: Pearson's chi-square or Fisher's exact tests, or Kruskal-Wallis or ANOVAwere used. Alpha of 0.05 was assumed. Analyses were performed using SAS® Software. Results: Of 162 (47.8%) surveys received, 156 were female (97.5%), 130 had carotid and vertebral involvement (80.2%). Patients reporting stroke (p=0.004) and transient ischemic attack (TIA) (p=0.046) had higher mean depression. Higher RAND SF-36 Mental Component Score (MCS) was associated with decrease in stroke (p=0.004) and TIA (p=0.002), heart, and lung disease, and diabetes (≤0.05). Thosewith hypertension (p=0.015) had lower RAND SF-36 Physical Component Scores (PCS). Those with migraine, tinnitus, neck, dizziness, flank, abdominal, or leg pain, and other symptoms (p<0.001) had lower PCS. After backward selection removed non-significant factors,migraine (p=0.004), neck (p=0.002) and leg pain (p=0.001) were predictors of decreased PCS. Migraine (p<0.001), neck (p=0.002), and flank pain (p=0.010) were predictors of decreasedMCS. Conclusions: Those who reported symptoms and complications consistent with carotid or vertebral involvement had lower MCS and PCS, increased depression, and anxiety. More research is needed to examine ways to address quality of life in this population. Practice Implications: Patients with FMD live with high risk for stroke and heart attack. Careful assessment of symptoms can help nurses improve care and quality of life in patients with FMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incidental findings are commonly found during routine, diagnostic imaging. Prevalence varies widely; but research shows that follow-up of incidental findings is poor. Further, incidental findings that are likely to change clinical outcomes are not necessarily more likely to receive follow-up care. It has also been shown that both lack of management and over-management can lead to poor patient outcomes. Innovative solutions are needed to ensure timely follow-up care and appropriate management of incidental findings. One possible solution to address low clinical follow-up care of incidental findings is to employ advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) as incidental findings coordinators. The coordinator would have the potential to improve communication and defragment care. The aims of this article are to discuss the problem of low follow-up care of clinically relevant incidental findings and to present a recommendation for a new role for APRNs to address the problem. In this article the authors will review the literature, describe the search for answers, present a new role for the APRN as an incidental findings coordinator, and conclude that the APRN incidental findings coordinator role has the potential to solve many problems encountered in current practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inefficiencies in transitions in care impact the flow of patients from the emergency department to other units. Nurses' perceptions of patient transitions may provide valuable information to identify gaps in patient flow. This article reports findings from a cross-sectional study using the Hospital Survey on Culture of Transitions in Patient Care (H-CulT). The study aim was to describe nurse perceptions of patient transitions, and compare throughput metrics and nurse demographic characteristics. Linear regression models were used to evaluate nurses' perceptions related to demographics and throughput metrics. Alpha was 0.05. Of 148 surveys, 53.4% of respondents were white, 68.2% were non-Hispanic, and 82.4% were female. H-CulT subscale scores for Busy Workload , Unit Leadership , and Priority of Patient Care were higher for nurse managers compared to clinical nurses, revealing the importance of nurses' perceptions in these areas and an opportunity to engage clinical nurses in patient transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Life satisfaction is a multidimensional construct impacted by many variables and needs to be explored within that context. A correlational design was used to survey community-dwelling older adults to determine perceptions of life satisfaction and its association with physical, social, psychological, and environmental factors. The sample was primarily White (n = 474 [93%]) but balanced between male (n = 253 [50%]) and female (n = 258 [50%]). The mean age was 73.1 (SD, 4.8) years. Associations with life satisfaction were evaluated using linear regression models. In multivariable modeling, social isolation, living alone, depression, sleep disturbance, social vulnerability, and physical ability predicted life satisfaction. Physical ability was the only predictor of high life satisfaction. Findings underscore the importance of helping older adults with improvements in physical ability and addressing social, psychological, and environmental influences that may lead to low life satisfaction., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2025 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Age-related changes put older adults at risk for frailty. The Frailty Care Model was created to inform the care of older adults with or at risk for frailty. The purpose was to test the Frailty Care Model., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study to identify associations between factors in the Frailty Care Model, and frailty components in older adults' strength, fatigue, ability to ambulate, and weight loss over the last year. Comparisons across frailty groups used Pearson's chi-square tests or Fisher's exact tests. ANOVA tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used. Multivariable ordinal regression models were fit., Results: Odds of frailty increased by 137% for those who lived alone, 20% for those who were depressed, and 433% for those who were classified as "at risk for malnutrition"., Conclusions: This study was the first to test the Frailty Care Model with a focus on modifiable factors that predict frailty., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest none., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)