Gail D'Eramo Melkus

Abstract

Background: The Stroke Impact Scale 3.0 (SIS 3.0) is widely used to measure quality of life in stroke survivors; however, previous studies have not tested the original 8-factor structure of the scale. In addition, previous studies have shown floor and ceiling effect and weak reliability within the scale. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the SIS 3.0, including its construct validity (factorial structure, concurrent and contrasting group validity), floor and ceiling effect, and reliability. Method: A cross-sectional design was used to study 392 stroke survivors enrolled in 16 rehabilitation facilities across Italy. Factorial structure of the SIS 3.0 was tested with confirmatory factor analysis. Concurrent and contrasting group validities were evaluated with other scales measuring functional capacities, neurological functions, cognition, anxiety, depression, and generic quality of life. Floor and ceiling effects were evaluated by determining the percentages of patients with the minimum and the maximum score at SIS 3.0. Reliability was determined by Cronbach's α and test-retest. Results: Participants were 71 years old on average (SD, 11 years); 55% were men. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a new 4-factor structure that fitted the data better than the original 8-factor structure did. Concurrent and contrasting group validity of the new 4-factor structure was supportive and no floor and ceiling effects were found. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability ranged between 0.79 and 0.98. Conclusion: The new factorial structure of the SIS 3.0 with 4 factors showed better psychometric properties than the original 8-factor structure did. This evidence supports further use of the SIS 3.0 in clinical practice and research.

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the prevalence of renal disease risk factors and the categorization of renal disease risk groups among African American women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who participated in a self-management and coping skills training intervention. We also explored and described the change in renal disease risk factors within and between risk groups, determining if participation in a culturally relevant coping skills training intervention decreased renal disease risk. This study was a secondary analysis of data from a longitudinal intervention study and included all 109 African American women with T2DM from the primary intervention study. This study examined the prevalence of 4 renal disease risk factors among the women at baseline via descriptive statistics, used cluster analysis to divide the women into risk groups and categorize the risk groups, and also measured the change in risk factors over time among risk groups via mixed modeling. A majority of the women had a hemoglobin A1C ≥7% (62.39%) and were obese (75.93%). The high-risk cluster displayed clinically significant declines in mean systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and A1C in both the control and intervention groups, and the intervention was more effective in reducing triglycerides and A1C levels among high-risk participants than low-risk. Overall, the control, high-risk group exhibited the largest declines in systolic blood pressure, triglycerides, and A1C. This study displays the importance of acknowledging African American women with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at high risk for renal disease in health care settings, which is often overlooked, and realizing that renal disease risk reduction is obtainable.

Abstract

Background: Individuals with cancer are surviving long term, categorizing cancer asa a chronic condition, and with it, numerous healthcare challenges. Symptoms, in particular, can be burdensome and occur from prediagnosis through many years after treatment. Symptom severity is inversely associated with functional status and quality of life. Objective: Management of these millions of survivors of cancer in a stressed healthcare system necessitates effective self-care strategies. The purpose of this integrative review is to evaluate intervention studies led by nurse principal investigators for self-care management in patients with cancer. Methods: PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied health Literature), and the Cochrane Database were searched from January 2000 through August 2012. Search terms included "symptom management and cancer," "self-management and cancer," and "self-care and cancer." All articles for consideration included intervention studies with a nurse as the primary principal investigator. Results: Forty-six articles were included yielding 3 intervention areas of educational and/or counseling sessions, exercise, and complementary and alternative therapies. Outcomes were predominately symptom focused and often included functional status and quality of life. Few studies had objective measures. Overarching themes were mitigation, but not prevention or elimination of symptoms, and improved quality of life related to functional status. No one intervention was superior to another for any given outcome. Conclusions: Current interventions that direct patients in self-care management of symptoms and associated challenges with cancer/survivorship are helpful, but incomplete. No one intervention can be recommended over another. Implications for Practice: Guiding patients with cancer in self-care management is important for overall functional status and quality of life. Further investigation and tailored interventions are warranted.

Abstract

Context Fatigue is a distressing persistent sense of physical tiredness that is not proportional to a person's recent activity. Fatigue impacts patients' treatment decisions and can limit their self-care activities. Although significant interindividual variability in fatigue severity has been noted, little is known about predictors of interindividual variability in initial levels and trajectories of evening fatigue severity in oncology patients receiving chemotherapy. Objectives To determine whether demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics were associated with initial levels and the trajectories of evening fatigue. Methods A sample of outpatients with breast, gastrointestinal, gynecological, and lung cancer (N = 586) completed demographic and symptom questionnaires a total of six times over two cycles of chemotherapy. Fatigue severity was evaluated using the Lee Fatigue Scale. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to answer the study objectives. Results A large amount of interindividual variability was found in the evening fatigue trajectories. A piecewise model fit the data best. Patients who were white, diagnosed with breast, gynecological, or lung cancer, and who had more years of education, childcare responsibilities, lower functional status, and higher levels of sleep disturbance and depression reported higher levels of evening fatigue at enrollment. Conclusion This study identified both nonmodifiable (e.g., ethnicity) and modifiable (e.g., childcare responsibilities, depressive symptoms, sleep disturbance) risk factors for more severe evening fatigue. Using this information, clinicians can identify patients at higher risk for more severe evening fatigue, provide individualized patient education, and tailor interventions to address the modifiable risk factors.

Abstract

Problem Identification: To summarize the current state of nursing knowledge related to the association of multiple chronic conditions (MCCs) and cancer-related fatigue (CRF) in patients with solid tumors during chemotherapy. Literature Search: A systematic literature search of PubMed, CINAHL®, EMBASE, Cochrane, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for primary nursing research from January 2000 to June 2012 that examined the prevalence and/or severity of CRF with MCCs or a single comorbidity. Data Evaluation: The studies were appraised for the clarity and focus of the research question and the appropriateness of the method and research design. A 13-item quality criteria checklist evaluated the data from each article on a 0-2 scale (0 = poor, 1 = fair, 2 = good). Data Analysis: Of 329 abstracts, 21 studies were included in the analysis. The association of MCC and CRF was mostly reported in aggregate, with a mean of three MCCs per patient. Presentation of Findings: Having one or more other comorbidities was significantly associated with the prevalence and severity of CRF. Specifically, arthritis, hypertension, and cardiac disease, although not consistently or clinically defined across studies, are associated with an increased prevalence and severity of CRF. The association of MCC and CRF prevalence and severity was inconsistent because of the variability in the measures used and the time span identified to measure changes. Implications for Nursing Practice: Awareness of the prevalence of MCCs is essential to support patients experiencing CRF. Holistic nursing assessment of the patient's symptoms-with an awareness of MCCs-would help improve symptom management to limit the effect of CRF.

Abstract

Objective: Most of the day-to-day care for heart failure (HF) is done by the patient at home and requires skill in self-care. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT) we tested the efficacy of a community-based skill-building intervention on HF self-care, knowledge and health-related quality of life (HRQL) at 1- and 3-months. Methods: An ethnically diverse sample (n=75) of patients with HF (53% female; 32% Hispanic, 27% Black; mean age 69.9. ±. 10 years) was randomized to the intervention group (IG) or a wait-list control group (CG). The protocol intervention focused on tactical and situational HF self-care skill development delivered by lay health educators in community senior centers. Data were analyzed using mixed (between-within subjects) ANOVA. Results: There was a significant improvement in self-care maintenance [. F(2,. 47)=3.42, p=.04, (Cohen's f=.38)], self-care management [. F(2,. 41)=4.10, p=.02, (Cohen's f=.45) and HF knowledge [. F(2,. 53)=8.00, p=.001 (Cohen's f=.54)] in the IG compared to the CG. Conclusions: The skill-building intervention improved self-care and knowledge but not HRQL in this community-dwelling sample. Practice implications: Delivering an intervention in a community setting using lay health educators provides an alternative to clinic- or home-based teaching that may be useful across diverse populations and geographically varied settings.

Abstract

objective: The purpose of this study was to test a two-phased nutrition and exercise education, coping skills training, and exercise intervention program for overweight or obese low-income ethnic minority 2nd to 4th grade children and their parents in rural North Carolina, USA. mathods: A cluster randomized controlled trial was carried out with 358 children (7-10 years) and a parent for each child (n=358). General linear mixed models were used to determine the effects of the intervention on weight, adiposity, health behaviors, and eating and exercise self-efficacy by examining changes in children and parents from baseline to completion of the study (18 months). results: At 18 months, children in the experimental group did not have a significantly decreased body mass index (BMI) percentile (P=0.470); however, they showed a reduction in the growth rate of their triceps (P=0.001) and subscapular skinfolds (Po0.001) and an improvement in dietary knowledge (P=0.018) and drank less than one glass of soda per day (P=0.052) compared with the control group. Parents in the experimental group had decreased BMI (P=0.001), triceps (Po0.001) and subscapular skinfolds (Po0.001) and increased nutrition (P=0.003) and exercise (Po0.001) knowledge and more often drank water or unsweetened drinks (P=0.029). At 18 months, children in the experimental group did not show significant improvement in eating (P=0.956) or exercise self-efficacy (P=0.976). Experimental parents demonstrated improved socially acceptable eating self-efficacy (P=0.013); however, they did not show significant improvement in self-efficacy pertaining to emotional eating (P=0.155) and exercise (P=0.680). conclusion: The results suggest that inclusion of children and parents in the same intervention program is an effective way to decrease adiposity and improve nutrition behaviors in both children and parents and improve weight and eating self-efficacy in parents.

Abstract

Background: Self-care is the cornerstone of heart failure (HF) management. Numerous approaches to improving HF self-care, which involves adherence to the treatment plan, routine symptom monitoring, and the response to symptoms when they occur, have been developed with little impact on HF outcomes. On the basis of HF practice recommendations that patients receive education and counseling that emphasizes self-care and targets skill building of critical target behaviors, we are conducting a clinical trial designed to improve self-care among community-dwelling older adults using an innovative group-based, skill-building approach led by a trained health educator. Objective: This article describes the study design and research methods used to implement and evaluate the intervention. Methods: The study uses a staggered randomized controlled design to assess feasibility of providing an HF self-care intervention in a community group setting to improve HF self-care, knowledge, and health-related quality of life at 1 and 3 months. A community engagement approach is used to partner with the community throughout all phases of the project. Seventy-five older adults with HF are randomly assigned to the intervention consisting of six to eight 60-minute sessions held in community senior centers or to the wait-list control group. Focus groups are used to elicit feedback on the participants' experience in the program. Results: Preliminary study participation data (n = 60; women, 48%; black, 27%; Hispanic, 32%; mean [SD] age, 70 [10] years) and focus group feedback suggest that the delivery approach is feasible and acceptable, and the participants are very satisfied with the program. Conclusions: Implementation of a community-based HF self-care intervention delivered in partnership with established community-based centers is an innovative approach to intervention. If efficacy is demonstrated, this intervention has far-reaching implications for helping the growing population of HF patients in ethnically diverse communities.

Abstract

Introduction: Gaining too much weight in pregnancy is associated with perinatal complications and increases the risks of future obesity for both women and their infants. Unfortunately, women enrolled in intervention trials have seen little improvement in adherence to prenatal weight gain recommendations compared to women receiving standard prenatal care. Therefore, the purpose of this descriptive mixed-methods study was to explore factors related to excessive weight gain in pregnancy. Methods: Nonpregnant nulliparous women, currently pregnant women, and postpartum women (N = 43) were recruited from a health center serving an inner-city minority community. Women completed questionnaires on knowledge, self-efficacy, and behaviors related to nutrition, exercise, and prenatal weight gain. Fifteen of these women participated in focus groups. Focus group data were analyzed using ATLAS.ti (Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany). Codes were created, themes were identified, and consensus was reached through multiple iterations of the analysis by study personnel. Results: Excessive weight gain was common. Nutritional knowledge was poor and significantly lower among nonpregnant nulliparous women. Women felt sure that they could engage in healthy behaviors, but few did so. Participants in focus groups identified multiple barriers to healthy behaviors in pregnancy and made suggestions on how to help women more readily make improvements in these behaviors. Discussion: Strategies identified in this study such as providing focused education directed at nonpregnant nulliparous women, stressing portion control, helping women better manage their cravings, and providing more pragmatic support and resources need to be explored in future research.

Abstract

Over the past decade, diabetes self-management (DSM) interventions have become increasingly heterogeneous to address the needs of diverse populations. The purpose of this integrative review is to summarize the state of the science regarding DSM interventions led by nurse principal investigators. The Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework informed identification, selection, and appraisal of the literature. A total of 44 national and international studies (RCTs [randomized controlled trial] and quasi-experimental studies) were identified for inclusion. Across national studies, diverse ethnic groups (Latinos, African Americans, Asians, and Native Americans) were most frequently sampled (67%). Review findings identified (a) DSM intervention typologies (primary DSM intervention, DSM reinforcement intervention, and primary DSM intervention plus reinforcement intervention) and selection of blended or bundled intervention components; (b) DSM intervention translation to community-based, electronic, and home settings; and (c) DSM intervention delivery (interventionists, dosages, and fidelity).