Nurse training in self-management of patients with cardiovascular diseases: a multicentre observational study

[Nurse-led education for patients in plain language: Evaluation of a teaching concept for prospective nursing professionals]

Nurse-led education for patients in plain language: Evaluation of a teaching concept for prospective nursing professionals Abstract: Background: Nurse-led education for patients is a core competency of nurses. A particular challenge is the education of the growing group of people with limited literacy skills. Aims: The aim of our project was to develop and evaluate a teaching concept that would gradually enable prospective nursing professionals to independently carry out nurse-led education for people with low literacy. Methods: First, a teaching concept for a nurse-led education for patients in plain language was developed, which was implemented with prospective nursing professionals of the Bachelor of Nursing programme at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and tested with a pre-post evaluation. Self-developed items were used to measure experience, confidence, competence and learning increase. Results: Before starting the teaching concept, 56% (n = 14) of the participants already had some experience with patient education. The relevance of the topic was rated as very high (Median = 9; IQR = 10-8; n = 25). After completing the teaching concept, participants felt more confident in conducting nurse-led education (T0: 36% vs. T1: 79%) and more competent in using plain language (T0: 4% vs. T1: 26%). Conclusion: A teaching concept that combines the development of nurse-led education for patients with the target group-specific approach of plain language increases the confidence of carers in their teaching skills and the self-management of people with low literacy.

Suboptimal Knowledge and Care of Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome Among Nurses Working in Selected Hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2021

Background

Acute Coronary Syndrome is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developing nations including Ethiopia. As frontline healthcare providers, nurses need to be prudent in handling cases of acute coronary syndrome. However, nurses' knowledge and practice of acute coronary syndrome are not well-known across Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess knowledge, practice, and associated factors regarding the care of acute coronary syndrome among acute care nurses working at selected hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods

Institution-based descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted from February to March among 252 purposively selected nurses working in tertiary hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A pretested and structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were entered into Epi-Data 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to describe and test the association between selected variables. P-values < 0.05 were declared as significant factors for the outcome variable.

Results

Out of 252 nurses, (52%) had good knowledge, and (44.4%) had good practice towards care of Acute Coronary Syndrome. Being a master's degree [AOR=3.801, (95% CI:1.314-10.996), P =0.014] and having guidelines [AOR= 10.998, (95% CI:2.478-48.805), P =0.002] were significantly associated with nurse's good knowledge of ACS. While having a master's degree [AOR=4.258, (95% CI:1.676-10.820), P=0.002] and getting in-service training [AOR= 1.902, (95% CI:1.022-3.539), P = 0.042] were significantly associated with nurse's good level of practice.

Conclusion

In this study, nurses had inadequate knowledge and practice regarding the care of Acute Coronary Syndrome. Nurses' educational level, presence of clinical practice guidelines, and getting training were determinant factors associated with good knowledge and practice. Therefore, organizational and nursing educational support are needed to improve this gap by providing short- and long-term training, and updated evidence-based clinical practice guidelines should be available for all acute care nurses.

Investigating the effect of multimedia education in combination with teach-back method on quality of life and cardiac anxiety in patients with heart failure: a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Education can contribute to promotion of the quality of life and reduction of heart anxiety in patients with heart failure, so it is important to find a suitable educational method for these patients. Therefore, the present study was an attempt to determine the effect of multimedia education using teach-back method on the life quality and cardiac anxiety in patients with heart failure.

METHODS

The present study was a randomized clinical trial. 120 patients with heart failure class I to III and aged less than 60 years old were selected using sequential sampling; then, they were assigned randomly into two intervention groups and one control group. Group A (multimedia education), group B (education using multimedia together with teach-back method), and group C (control). The quality of life and cardiac anxiety were evaluated in the participants of the three groups before, after, 1 month, and 3 months after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive tests, Pearson correlation, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, chi square and ANOVA test in SPSS 22. The significance level was set at P < 0.05.

RESULTS

No significant differences were found in the mean scores of the quality of life and cardiac anxiety in the control and two intervention groups before the educational intervention. However, immediately after, 1 month and 3 months after the educational intervention, a significant difference was observed between the mean scores of the quality of life and cardiac anxiety in the intervention groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Multimedia education together with Teach-Back method is effective in promoting the quality of life and reducing cardiac anxiety in patients with heart failure. Therefore, it is recommended that health policymakers should use this educational method in providing treatment programs.

IRANIAN REGISTRY OF CLINICAL TRIALS

20190917044802N1. Registration date: 5/2/2020.

Nurses' Experiences in Managing Cardiovascular Disease in Selected Rural and Peri-Urban Clinics in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Deaths caused by cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) account for 60% of all deaths that occur in rural and remote areas. Disease management programs are increasingly used to improve the effectiveness of chronic care. Nurses are a key component of the health workforce and have an important role to play in CVD prevention, treatment, and the care of sick people in remote areas. Due to the nature of their work, nurses are prone to working hard, and to experience burnout, sleep, or eating disorders. This is often exacerbated by a shortage of staff and equipment. The objectives of the study were to explore and describe the experiences of professional nurses in managing CVDs in South African rural and peri-urban clinics. A qualitative, explorative-descriptive design and a contextual research approach were adopted for the present study. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit nurses who were managing patients with CVD from 11 primary health care facilities. Data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and analyzed using Tesch's open coding method. Interview transcripts were coded and analyzed for common themes. The following two major themes emerged from the data: perceived institutional challenges affecting the management of CVDs and nurses' perceptions of patient challenges that impede the effective management of CVD. The study concludes by highlighting that apart from a resource challenge, the shortage of nurses in rural clinics is the biggest reason behind overcrowding, waiting long hours for consultations, and an increase in the workload, resulting in medical errors and poor quality care. It is, therefore, recommended that, for improved care and management of CVD in rural populations, local governments need to employ more skilled nurses whilst availing the necessary material resources.