Nurse-Directed Patient Education, Essay Example

The study under examination had a quasi experimental design and lasted for a calendar year. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test for equality of variance-covariance matrices over time. The ANCOVA measured baseline and interval scores (2) during a nine month period. The study revealed a significant improvement in the Control Group in health and function, social and economic, psychological and spiritual, and family. Functional capacity was not significantly impacted. The study yielded the interesting implication that a nurse-directed treatment strategy improves their patients’ role in control the symptoms of their disease and their self-management of their medical issues.

Twenty three subjects acted as participants in the study. Thirteen nurses served as caregivers. These were given extensive education is the management of heart disease. The nurses made weekly telephone contacts with their patients, giving them comprehensive disease management education, follow-up, and routine care.

The patients ranged in age from 18-75 years of age. All were referred to an inner city cardiology clinic because of their heart failure symptoms. The physician care they received was by cardiologists and cardiology fellows. All patients had a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure upon their examinations. All participants spoke English. Patients with angina were excluded. Patients who were not deemed healthy enough to survive the study were also excluded. All of the participants were informed about the study and signed consent forms for their part in it. The medical therapy administered to them during their monthly visits to the clinic (for 12 months) followed a strict protocol. Stress was given each month about following a low-salt diet, the cessation of smoking, and the reduction of alcohol intake.

The purpose of the research was to evaluate the impact of an approach, directed by nurses that focused on the modification of lifestyle of patients. Things emphasized were weight management, diet, and medication compliance in order to improve the participants’ quality of life and increase the effectiveness of daily life functions. Evaluation was made of the nurse-directed approach to heart failure patient education and on the extent to which such patient care influenced the quality of life functions of the participants. The researchers define quality of life as being the overall sense of well-being that a person has about moving through events that are important to them. The researchers define functional capacity as a people’s ability to provide basic life needs for self.

The major research question wanted to discover whether patients who participate in a nurse-directed patient education approach to heart failure management experience improved quality of life and function because of that identification. The hypothesis: Patients who participate in a nurse-directed patient education will experience fewer readmissions

This study is relevant to nursing, because heart failure is a major health issue in our country, especially for people over 65 years old. The caseload of people with this diagnosis climbs higher each year. Americans are aging and are more prone to have coronary artery disease and hypertension. Heart failure is the most costly healthcare function at this time. Nurses, not cardiologists, treat most heart patients and play key roles in the clinical outcomes of their patients. Nurses are in an influential position to offer education, motivation, and monitoring patients as they move through prescribed therapeutic processes.

Reference

Kutzleb, J., & Reiner, D. (2006). The impact of nurse-directed patient education on quality of life and functional capacity in people with heart failure. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 18(3), 116-123.