Critical Care Nursing Commons^™

Breathlessness Descriptors In Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Versus Congestive Heart Failure, Adelaide De Souza Caroci

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This cross-sectional descriptive study investigated breathlessness (dyspnea) in stable patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). The purpose of this study was (a) to characterize the most common terms COPD and CHF patients use to describe their breathing, (b) to identify the frequency of dyspnea in patients with COPD and CHF, and (c) to determine the intensity of dyspnea in these populations.

A purposive sample of 60 patients, 30 with moderate to severe COPD and 30 patients with moderate to severe CHF, met the inclusion criteria and were enrolled in this study. The participants provided …

Presentation And Symptom Predictors Of Coronary Heart Disease In Patients With And Without Diabetes, Marjorie Funk, Janice B. Naum, Kerry A. Milner, Deborah Chyun

Nursing Faculty Publications

The aims of this prospective, observational study were to compare: (1) symptom presentation of coronary heart disease (CHD) between patients with and without diabetes and (2) symptom predictors of CHD in patients with and without diabetes. We directly observed 528 patients with symptoms suggestive of CHD as they presented to the ED of a 900-bed cardiac referral center in the northeastern United States. There were no significant differences in symptom presentation of CHD between patients with and without diabetes, although patients with diabetes were slightly more likely to present with shortness of breath (P =.056). Patients with diabetes reported …

Sepsis Bundle Completion, Jenna Churnock

Dissertations

Background: Sepsis is a serious condition resulting in end organ damage and ultimately, death. Communication techniques for nurses and physicians on septic patients admitted to the hospital from the emergency department was evaluated. Paper communication was used in 2020 to facilitate serum diagnostic acquisition and antibiotic administration (i.e., sepsis bundle), but an electronic communication form was utilized in 2021.

Method: An observational, descriptive design utilizing a medical record review was completed to compare the same time-period in 2020 and 2021. Communication methods for sepsis bundle completion were compared.

Results: A total of 100 medical records were reviewed (N …

Family Functioning And Motivation For Childbearing Among Hiv-Infected Women At Increased Risk For Pregnancy, B.C. Latham, R.L. Sowell, Kenneth D. Phillips

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

This study examined family composition and functioning in a cohort of HIVinfected women of reproductive age living in the southern United States. Participants were predominantly single (82.2%), African American women (86.7%) with annual incomes of less than $10,000 (65.5%), with a mean age of 31.2 years. Using the Family Apgar Scale as a measure of perceived family functioning, women reported that their families functioned moderately well. Multiple regression analysis showed that level of education, life satisfaction, and coping through avoidance and coping by seeking social support were positively associated with family functioning. In contrast, a history of interpersonal verbal violence …

Psychosocial And Physiologic Correlates Of Perceived Health Among Hiv-Infected Women, Kenneth D. Phillips, R.L. Sowell, C.J. Rush, C.L. Murdaugh

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to perception of physical health in a cohort of HIV-infected women. A descriptive correlational design was used to identify factors influencing perceived physical health in a sample of 275 HIV-infected women in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Participants were predominantly single African-American women with household incomes of less than $10,000 per year.

Using Spearman’s rho, statistically significant positive correlations (p < .05) were found between perceived physical health and T helper cell count, hope, present life satisfaction, education, and income. Statistically significant positive correlations (p <.05) were observed between perceived physical health and three HIV-specific active coping styles (managing the illness, focusing on others, and positive thinking). Inverse relationships were observed between perceived physical health and HIVrelated symptoms, stage of illness, depression, physical and sexual violence experienced since becoming HIV-infected, history of drug use since becoming HIV-infected, and age. Using backward stepwise selection, 9 of 14 variables were retained in the final model that explained 60% of the variance in physical health at the p < .10 level of significance (R2 = .60). Variables that demonstrated a significant relationship with perceived physical health were HIV-related symptoms, depression, present life satisfaction, age, education, coping by managing the illness, coping through positive thinking, and coping by focusing on the present. These findings support the need to address the psychosocial as well as the physiologic factors associated with HIV/AIDS in developing comprehensive plans of nursing care.

Effects Of Individualized Acupuncture On Sleep Quality In Hiv Disease, Kenneth D. Phillips, W.D. Skelton

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Nursing

Although it may begin at any point, sleep disturbance often appears early in HIV disease and contributes to decreased quality of life during the course of the illness. Relatively few studies have explored the complex nature of poor sleep quality in HIV disease or tested interventions to improve sleep quality. The purpose of this study was threefold: explore the nature of sleep quality in HIV disease, test the relationship between pain and sleep quality, and test the effectiveness of acupuncture delivered in a group setting for improving sleep quality in those who are HIV infected. A pretest, post-test, pre-experimental design …

Family Functioning And Motivation For Childbearing Among Hiv-Infected Women At Increased Risk For Pregnancy, B.C. Latham, R.L. Sowell, Kenneth D. Phillips

Kenneth D. Phillips

This study examined family composition and functioning in a cohort of HIVinfected women of reproductive age living in the southern United States. Participants were predominantly single (82.2%), African American women (86.7%) with annual incomes of less than $10,000 (65.5%), with a mean age of 31.2 years. Using the Family Apgar Scale as a measure of perceived family functioning, women reported that their families functioned moderately well. Multiple regression analysis showed that level of education, life satisfaction, and coping through avoidance and coping by seeking social support were positively associated with family functioning. In contrast, a history of interpersonal verbal violence …

Psychosocial And Physiologic Correlates Of Perceived Health Among Hiv-Infected Women, Kenneth D. Phillips, R.L. Sowell, C.J. Rush, C.L. Murdaugh

Kenneth D. Phillips

The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to perception of physical health in a cohort of HIV-infected women. A descriptive correlational design was used to identify factors influencing perceived physical health in a sample of 275 HIV-infected women in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. Participants were predominantly single African-American women with household incomes of less than $10,000 per year.

Using Spearman’s rho, statistically significant positive correlations (p < .05) were found between perceived physical health and T helper cell count, hope, present life satisfaction, education, and income. Statistically significant positive correlations (p <.05) were observed between perceived physical health and three HIV-specific active coping styles (managing the illness, focusing on others, and positive thinking). Inverse relationships were observed between perceived physical health and HIVrelated symptoms, stage of illness, depression, physical and sexual violence experienced since becoming HIV-infected, history of drug use since becoming HIV-infected, and age. Using backward stepwise selection, 9 of 14 variables were retained in the final model that explained 60% of the variance in physical health at the p < .10 level of significance (R2 = .60). Variables that demonstrated a significant relationship with perceived physical health were HIV-related symptoms, depression, present life satisfaction, age, education, coping by managing the illness, coping through positive thinking, and coping by focusing on the present. These findings support the need to address the psychosocial as well as the physiologic factors associated with HIV/AIDS in developing comprehensive plans of nursing care.

Effects Of Individualized Acupuncture On Sleep Quality In Hiv Disease, Kenneth D. Phillips, W.D. Skelton

Kenneth D. Phillips

Although it may begin at any point, sleep disturbance often appears early in HIV disease and contributes to decreased quality of life during the course of the illness. Relatively few studies have explored the complex nature of poor sleep quality in HIV disease or tested interventions to improve sleep quality. The purpose of this study was threefold: explore the nature of sleep quality in HIV disease, test the relationship between pain and sleep quality, and test the effectiveness of acupuncture delivered in a group setting for improving sleep quality in those who are HIV infected. A pretest, post-test, pre-experimental design …