¶ … Heart Failure
Literature Critique of Articles concerning Heart Failure
The two articles in this literature review are concerned with different aspects of care for patients diagnosed with some stage of heart failure (HF). Heart failure is one of the most prevalent and debilitating diseases worldwide and is the leading cause for hospitalizations for people older than 65 years (Schwarz, Mion, Hudock & Litman, 2007). These two articles look at ways of monitoring patients and the decision-making process involved with the care of HF patients.
A Process of Decision Making by Caregivers of Family Members with Heart Failure
The purpose of this research study was to determine the decision making process of caregivers of family members with heart failure. The authors sought to examine the different factors that influence decisions and the pathway that caregivers follow in coming to decisions. The research question, explicitly stated by the authors, is "how do caregivers of family members with HF make decision." The study design is embedded in the theoretical framework that heart failure is a disease that has emotional implications for the entire family and generates substantial stress. The authors based their study design on a three-stage theory presented by Crist, Garcia-Smith, and...
Twenty participants were recruited from a variety of care facilities over a 12-month period. Caregivers of patients from each of the four stages of the HF classification were recruited to ensure data variation. Demographic data of the caregivers were collected and informal interview were conducted around a series of targeted questions concerning the decision making process. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim following the interview, and analyzed for the theoretical categories involved in decision-making. The journal Research & Theory for Nursing Practice has an editorial board and one may therefore assume that the research paper has been peer reviewed. The authors have no potential financial gain from the conclusions of the study. However, the individual interview style of the different interviewers might have introduced bias into the study by encouraging the caregivers to share more or less information.
Telemonitoring of heart failure patients and their caregivers
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