Perspectives of Community Health Nurses in Caring for Patients with Congestive Heart Failure
Format Type
Plenary
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
12-1-2021 11:15 AM
End Date
12-1-2021 11:35 AM
Abstract
Approximately 70% of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) are 65 years or older (Chiu & Cheng, 2007). Reports indicate that more than five million U.S. citizens aged 20 and above are suffering from CHF, and this number is likely to increase significantly in future years (Pi & Hu, 2016; Ziaeian & Fonarow, 2016). Care provided by community health nurses (CHNs) has demonstrated effectiveness in improving outcomes for CHF patients by reducing the problems of lengthy hospital stays, unplanned admissions, mortality, and hospital costs (Vedel & Khanassov, 2015). Using a phenomenological design, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of CHNs caring for an underserved population in a large urban area in one northeastern state, and their roles in improving the quality of life of elderly patients with CHF. The research questions for this study were: (1) What are the lived experiences of community health nurses who care for an underserved urban population of elderly patients with congestive heart failure, and (2) What are the community health nurses’ perceptions of their impact on the quality of life of an underserved urban population of elderly patients with congestive heart failure. Data was collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews of 11 community health nurses and was analyzed following a six-step thematic analysis process (Braun, Clarke, Hayfield, & Terry, 2019). Three themes emerged from the data: (1) “care of congestive heart failure,” (2) “patient qualities,” and (3) “role of the community health nurse.” Each theme encompassed several sub-themes and codes. This study adds to the growing body of literature that highlights CHNs as critical members of multidisciplinary teams treating elderly patients with CHF and can be used to inform future research aimed at reducing hospital readmissions.
Keywords: community health nurses (CHNs), congestive heart failure (CHF), elderly, quality of life, underserved population
Keywords
community health nurses (CHNs), congestive heart failure (CHF), elderly, quality of life, underserved population
Perspectives of Community Health Nurses in Caring for Patients with Congestive Heart Failure
Approximately 70% of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) are 65 years or older (Chiu & Cheng, 2007). Reports indicate that more than five million U.S. citizens aged 20 and above are suffering from CHF, and this number is likely to increase significantly in future years (Pi & Hu, 2016; Ziaeian & Fonarow, 2016). Care provided by community health nurses (CHNs) has demonstrated effectiveness in improving outcomes for CHF patients by reducing the problems of lengthy hospital stays, unplanned admissions, mortality, and hospital costs (Vedel & Khanassov, 2015). Using a phenomenological design, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of CHNs caring for an underserved population in a large urban area in one northeastern state, and their roles in improving the quality of life of elderly patients with CHF. The research questions for this study were: (1) What are the lived experiences of community health nurses who care for an underserved urban population of elderly patients with congestive heart failure, and (2) What are the community health nurses’ perceptions of their impact on the quality of life of an underserved urban population of elderly patients with congestive heart failure. Data was collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews of 11 community health nurses and was analyzed following a six-step thematic analysis process (Braun, Clarke, Hayfield, & Terry, 2019). Three themes emerged from the data: (1) “care of congestive heart failure,” (2) “patient qualities,” and (3) “role of the community health nurse.” Each theme encompassed several sub-themes and codes. This study adds to the growing body of literature that highlights CHNs as critical members of multidisciplinary teams treating elderly patients with CHF and can be used to inform future research aimed at reducing hospital readmissions.
Keywords: community health nurses (CHNs), congestive heart failure (CHF), elderly, quality of life, underserved population