Initial validation of a healthcare needs scale for young people with congenital heart disease

Association Between Health-Promoting Behaviors and Reproductive Health Needs in Women Experiencing Domestic Violence

Violence against women is considered as one of the most serious social problems in all the societies. It is common that the abused women experience physical, psychological, and health problems, as well as reproductive health issues. Domestic violence affects women's health behaviors and ability to seek any form of health care. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between health-promoting behaviors and reproductive health needs in women experienced domestic violence. This cross-sectional study was conducted from May 5 to September 21, 2021, on 380 abused women. Cluster sampling was performed in health centers of Karaj. Data were collected using demographic survey questions, Domestic Violence Survey, Reproductive Health Needs of Domestic Violated Women scale, and health-promoting behaviors questionnaire. The mean (standard deviation) scores for reproductive health needs and health-promoting behaviors were 158.88 (20.24) and 131.08 (20.53), respectively. Psychological violence had the highest (69.5%) prevalence among all types and 37.6% of women reported severe violence. The results of Spearman's rank correlation coefficient test indicated that all dimensions of the reproductive health needs of abused women (men's participation, self-care, support and health services, and sexual and marital relationships) positively and significantly related to the total score and various dimensions of health-promoting behaviors (interpersonal relationship, health responsibility, physical activity, spiritual growth, nutrition, and stress management). The dimensions of health-promoting behaviors together can explain 21.6% of the changes in reproductive health needs based on linear regression. Violence is a global public concern and paying attention to the various health dimensions in abused women is an important aspect of the health policies. Developing health-promoting behaviors in abused women improves their reproductive health state and society as a whole.

Development and validation of the parents' healthcare needs scale for adolescents with congenital heart disease

PURPOSE

The healthcare needs of parents of adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD) have been under-investigated as no valid and reliable tools have been developed for assessing their needs. Therefore, this study aims to develop and validate the Parents' Healthcare Needs Scale for adolescents with CHD (PHNS-CHD).

DESIGN AND METHODS

A multi-method approach and multi-phase design were employed. Phase one referred to generating scale items based on emerging themes in the literature, and phase two showed the validation process, divided into three steps. Step one tested the content and face validity of the first version of the PHNS-CHD. After that, step two described the initial psychometric validation process of scale using an exploratory factorial analysis (EFA). Then, step three confirmed the PHNS-CHD factorial structure and assessed its internal consistency.

RESULTS

The PHNS-CHD showed evidence of face and content validity, adequate construct, and internal consistency and stability. Specifically, it had 22 items grouped into five domains, labeled as follows: Healthcare education to the child; to be supported as a parent, clinical support to the child, the continuum of care to the child; emotional support to the child.

CONCLUSIONS

The PHNS-CHD is a psychometrically robust measure for assessing the healthcare needs of parents of adolescents with CHD.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The PHNS-CHD might help clinicians, especially pediatric nurses, assess the healthcare needs of parents of adolescents with CHD and design adequate care plans for the whole family.

The effect of applying telehealth education to home care of infants after congenital heart disease surgery

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of applying telehealth education to home care of infants after congenital heart disease (CHD) surgery.

METHODS

A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted from July 2020 to February 2021 in Fujian Children's Hospital to compare the home care condition of infants after CHD surgery between the intervention group and the control group.

RESULTS

At 3 months after discharge, parents' caring ability and CHD knowledge in the intervention group were significantly better than those in the control group and were significantly improved compared with those at discharge time (P < 0.05). The parental care burden in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group and was significantly lower than that at discharge time (P < 0.05). During the follow-up period, the rate of loss of follow-up and complications in the intervention group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Telehealth education via WeChat can effectively improve the knowledge of disease and home care ability of parents of infants after CHD surgery and reduce their home care burden, which can effectively reduce the incidence of complications and lost to follow-up rate after discharge.

Measuring mental wellness among adolescents living with a physical chronic condition: a systematic review of the mental health and mental well-being instruments

Background

Globally, promoting mental health and well-being among adolescents has become a public health priority, especially for adolescents living with a physical chronic condition (CC), as research suggests they may be more at risk of developing mental health co-morbidities. Valid and reliable instruments are needed to measure and better understand mental health and mental well-being among adolescents living with a CC. To this end, we reviewed studies reporting on mental health and well-being instruments used in adolescent populations living with a chronic physical condition/disease globally.

Methods

We used a systematic review method guided by PRISMA to identify assess mental health and mental well-being instruments used in adolescents living with a CC. In this instance, mental health instruments were defined as those representing negative domains of mental health (i.e. depression and anxiety) while mental well-being instruments included positive aspects of mental health (i.e. self-concept and resilience).

Results

We identified 22 articles, which included 31 instruments that were used to measure either mental health (n = 8) or mental well-being (n = 15) or both (n = 8) in adolescents living with a CC. Of these, thirteen studies used a Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) scale to measure mental health and/or mental well-being. The KIDSCREEN questionnaires and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were identified as being frequently used across the 22 studies. Additionally, 7 out of the 31 instruments were disease specific, with 3 focusing on adolescents with diabetes. All the instruments were developed in high income countries and adapted for use in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes (n = 7) and HIV (n = 4) were researched in 11 out of 22 studies. Only eight studies were conducted in LMIC, of which four were in Africa.

Conclusions

HRQoL instruments are useful in measuring mental health and well-being in adolescents living with a CC. However, relatively few valid measures of mental health and mental well-being for adolescents living with a CC exist, which accentuates the paucity of research on mental health and mental well-being of adolescents who are living with a CC. Specific measures need to be developed in and for LMICs where cultural contexts affect mental well-being in unique ways.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42020186707.

Long-term effectiveness of an mHealth-tailored physical activity intervention in youth with congenital heart disease: A randomized controlled trial

AIMS

To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the Care & Organize Our Lifestyle (COOL) programme, a self-regulation theory-based mHealth programme, on improving disease knowledge and physical activity in youth with congenital heart disease (CHD).

DESIGN

A three-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial.

METHODS

A total 143 participants with simple and moderate CHD aged 15-24 years were recruited from June 2016 to February 2018. The 12-month programme compared two active intervention groups to a standard-care control group (n = 47). Participants in one active intervention group (n = 49) were provided with COOL Passport, a mobile healthcare application. Those in the other group (n = 47) were provided with access to the Health Promotion Cloud system and use of game-based interactive platforms along with COOL Passport. Outcomes were the Leuven Knowledge Questionnaire for Congenital Heart Disease and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Taiwan Show-Card Version.

RESULTS

After 12 months, 103 participants remained; the overall attrition rate was 28%. No significant differences were observed between the groups in any domain of disease knowledge after 6 months or 1 year. Neither active group exhibited significantly greater physical activity intensity than the standard-care control group in any month during the 1 year.

CONCLUSION

The mHealth-tailored intervention of the COOL programme did not improve disease knowledge or physical activity in young adults with CHD.

IMPACT

The application of the COOL Passport and Health Promotion Cloud system and use of game-based interactive platforms must be modified and verified in future studies and may have clinical potential.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The registry of clinical trials was ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04264650.

Symptom Frequency in Children with Congenital Heart Disease and Parental Care Burden in Predicting the Quality of Life of Parents in Turkey

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to investigate the symptom frequency and parental care burden of the children with congenital heart disease in predicting the quality of life of parents in Turkey.

DESIGN AND METHOD

The study subjects for the present study included 124 parents whose children were suffering from heart disease. The data for the study were collected from these parents using parent information form, the questionnaire of the frequency of heart disease-related symptoms of the child, the caregiver burden scale, and the quality of life scale. The level by which the heart disease-related symptoms of the child and caregiver burden predicted the quality of life was analyzed using the regression analysis.

RESULTS

The most common symptoms in children were found to be anorexia, difficulty in activities, palpitations, shortness of breath, weakness, and fatigue. The number of symptoms observed in children and the care burden of the parents were determined to explain 27.1% of the psychological health sub-dimension, 14.4% of the social relations sub-dimension, and 34.9% of the environment sub-dimension. When the variables were examined separately, the number of symptoms was found to significantly predict only social relations sub-dimensions.

CONCLUSION

Increased number of symptoms increased parental care burden. Increased number of symptoms and care burden of parents reduced the quality of life of parents.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Symptom management is one of the important responsibilities of nurses in improving care burden and quality of life for parents of children with heart disease.

Healthcare needs and Quality of Life in Youths with Congenital Heart Disease: Health-Promoting Behaviors as a Mediator

PURPOSE

The aims of this study were to examine the relationship between healthcare needs, health-promoting behaviors and quality of life (QoL) of youths with congenital heart disease (CHD), and to determine whether health-promoting behaviors were a mediating variable.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted recruiting 205 youths aged 15 to 24 with either ventricular septal defect (VSD) or tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). A self-reported questionnaire was used to collect demographic information; furthermore, the thickness of the triceps skinfold was measured. The Healthcare Needs Scale for Youth with CHD, Adolescent Health Promotion-short form scale, and World Health Organization QoL-BREF scale were administered, and Pearson's correlation, multiple regressions, and the Sobel test were conducted.

RESULTS

The triceps skinfold of participants with VSD was significantly thicker than that of participants with TOF (p < 0.05). Healthcare needs, health-promoting behaviors, and QoL were positively correlated. The overall health-promoting behaviors served as a partial mediator between overall healthcare needs and QoL, accounting for 40.1% of the total variation.

CONCLUSIONS

The study illustrates that health-promoting behaviors have an impact on healthcare needs and QoL of youths with CHD. The development of tailored health consulting interventions to fulfill healthcare needs is required to improve physical and psychosocial wellness among youths with CHD.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Targeting individual and public health strategies for enhancing health-promoting behaviors should be integrated in CHD care planning.

Home care experience and nursing needs of caregivers of children undergoing congenital heart disease operations: A qualitative descriptive study

Aims and objectives

To explore the home care experiences of caregivers taking care of CHD children before and after cardiac surgery.

Background

Despite the prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) in childhood, little is known about the experiences and impacts on the children and their caregivers after CHD diagnosis and surgery. Such knowledge is needed for meaningful support.

Design

A qualitative descriptive study.

Methods

Twenty-two caregivers of CHD children undergoing cardiac surgery participated in semi-structured interviews at a University Children’s Hospital in China. Data were collected by an experienced and trained interviewer. Qualitative content analysis was chosen to describe the experiences of the caregivers.

Results

Caregivers of CHD children experienced significant demands. After the children underwent their CHD operations, the caregivers experienced complex psychological feelings and excessive stress impacting upon theirlives. In addition, caregivers constantly adapted their roles with self-fulfillment in caring activities.

Conclusions

CHD surgery has a major impact on the emotions and daily lives of children and their caregivers. This study offers a framework for understanding the importance of actively listening to caregivers so coping strategies can be implemented.

Relevance to clinical practice

Theexperiencesdescribed in this study contribute to a better understanding of the needs of caregivers whose children underwent CHD operations. They also provide valuable information to professional medical care staff that developfuture nursing assessments.