Supporting self-management in women with pre-existing diabetes in pregnancy: a mixed-methods sequential comparative case study.

INTRODUCTION: Maternal glycemia is associated with pregnancy outcomes. Thus, supporting the self-management experiences and preferences of pregnant women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes is crucial to optimize glucose control and perinatal outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This paper describes the mixed methods integration of a sequential comparative case study. The objectives are threefold, as we integrated the quantitative and qualitative data within the overall mixed methods design: (1) to determine the predictors of glycemic control during pregnancy; (2) to understand the experience and diabetes self-management support needs during pregnancy among women with pre-existing diabetes; (3) to assess how self-management and support experiences helpe to explain glycemic control among women with pre-existing diabetes in pregnancy. The purpose of the mixing was to integrate the quantitative and qualitative data to develop rich descriptive cases of how diabetes self-management and support experiences and preferences in women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes during pregnancy help explain glucose control. A narrative approach was used to weave together the statistics and themes and the quantitative results were integrated visually alongside the qualitative themes to display the data integration. RESULTS: The quantitative results found that women achieved "at target" glucose control (mean A1C of the cohort by the third visit: 6.36% [95% Confidence Interval 6.11%, 6.60%]). The qualitative findings revealed that feelings of fear resulted in an isolating and mentally exhausting pregnancy. The quantitative data also indicated that women reported high levels of self-efficacy that increased throughout pregnancy. Qualitative data revealed that women who had worked hard to optimize glycemia during pregnancy were confident in their self-management. However, they lacked support from their healthcare team, particularly around self-management of diabetes during labour and delivery. CONCLUSIONS: The achievement of optimal glycemia during pregnancy was motivated by fear of pregnancy complications and came at a cost to women's mental health. Mental health support, allowing women autonomy, and the provision of peer support may improve the experience of diabetes self-management during pregnancy. Future work should focus on developing, evaluating and implementing interventions that support these preferences.

Understanding the self-management experiences and support needs during pregnancy among women with pre-existing diabetes: a qualitative descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: With the increasing prevalence of pre-existing type 1 and type 2 diabetes in pregnancy and their associated perinatal risks, there is a need to focus on interventions to achieve optimal maternal glycemia to improve pregnancy outcomes. One strategy focuses on improving diabetes self-management education and support for expectant mothers with diabetes. This study's objective is to describe the experience of managing diabetes during pregnancy and identify the diabetes self-management education and support needs during pregnancy among women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Using a qualitative descriptive study design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 women with pre-existing type 1 or 2 diabetes in pregnancy (type 1 diabetes, n = 6; type 2 diabetes, n = 6). We employed conventional content analyses to derive codes and categories directly from the data. RESULTS: Four themes were identified that related to the experiences of managing pre-existing diabetes in pregnancy; four others were related to the self-management support needs in this population. Women with diabetes described their experiences of pregnancy as terrifying, isolating, mentally exhausting and accompanied by a loss of control. Self-management support needs reported included healthcare that is individualized, inclusive of mental health support and support from peers and the healthcare team. CONCLUSIONS: Women with diabetes in pregnancy experience feelings of fear, isolation and a loss of control, which may be improved through personalized management protocols that avoid "painting everybody with the same brush" as well as peer support. Further examination of these simple interventions may yield important impacts on women's experience and sense of connection.

Trends and Self-Management Predictors of Glycemic Control During Pregnancy in Women With Preexisting Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes: A Cohort Study.

Background: Because much of diabetes management during pregnancy occurs at home, self-management factors such as self-efficacy, self-care activities, and care satisfaction may affect glycemia. Our objective was to explore trends in glycemic control during pregnancy in women with type 1 or type 2 diabetes; assess self-efficacy, self-care, and care satisfaction; and examine these factors as predictors of glycemic control. Methods: We conducted a cohort study from April 2014 to November 2019 at a tertiary center in Ontario, Canada. Self-efficacy, self-care, care satisfaction, and A1C were measured three times during pregnancy (T1, T2, and T3). Linear mixed-effects modeling explored trends in A1C and examined self-efficacy, self-care, and care satisfaction as predictors of A1C. Results: We recruited 111 women (55 with type 1 diabetes and 56 with type 2 diabetes). Mean A1C significantly decreased by 1.09% (95% CI -1.38 to -0.79) from T1 to T2 and by 1.14% (95% CI -1.43 to -0.86) from T1 to T3. Self-efficacy significantly predicted glycemic control for women with type 2 diabetes and was associated with a mean change in A1C of -0.22% (95% CI -0.42 to -0.02) per unit increase in scale. The exercise subscore of self-care significantly predicted glycemic control for women with type 1 diabetes and was associated with a mean change in A1C of -0.11% (95% CI -0.22 to -0.01) per unit increase in scale. Conclusion: Self-efficacy significantly predicted A1C during pregnancy in a cohort of women with preexisting diabetes in Ontario, Canada. Future research will continue to explore the self-management needs and challenges in women with preexisting diabetes in pregnancy.

Benefits and Concerns regarding Use of Cannabis for Therapeutic Purposes Among People Living with Chronic Pain: A Qualitative Research Study.

OBJECTIVE: Although there is growing interest in medically authorized cannabis for chronic pain, little is known about patients' perspectives. We explored perceptions of people living with chronic pain regarding benefits and concerns surrounding their use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes. SETTING: A hospital-based clinic in Hamilton and two community-based interdisciplinary pain clinics in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. METHODS: In this qualitative descriptive study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 13 people living with chronic pain who used cannabis therapeutically, living in Ontario, Canada. We used thematic analysis, with data collection, coding, and analysis occurring concurrently. RESULTS: People living with chronic pain reported important benefits associated with use of cannabis for therapeutic purposes, including reduced pain, improved functionality, and less risk of harms compared to prescription opioids. Most patients also acknowledged harms, such as grogginess and coughing, and there was considerable variability in patient experiences. Financial costs and stigma were identified as important barriers to use of cannabis. CONCLUSION: Evidence-based guidance that incorporates patients' values and preferences may be helpful to inform the role of cannabis in the management of chronic pain.

Factors impacting the access and use of formal health and social services by caregivers of stroke survivors: an interpretive description study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence has shown that family and friend caregivers of stroke survivors are significantly and negatively impacted by caregiving. The negative effects of caregiving may persist over time suggesting that caregivers might benefit from ongoing engagement with supportive services. However, little is known about caregivers' use of formally funded health and social services, or the factors influencing their access to and use of these services. The aim of this study is to increase understanding of the factors that influence stroke caregivers' access and use of formal health and social services, from the perspective of stroke caregivers and healthcare providers. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted with stroke caregivers and health providers in Ontario, Canada using interpretive description. In-depth interviews were conducted with caregivers of survivors who experienced a stroke between six months to five years previous and healthcare providers who support caregivers and stroke survivors. All participants provided written informed consent. Interview data were analyzed using constant comparison to identify codes and develop key thematic constructs. RESULTS: A total of 40 interviews were conducted with 22 stroke caregivers at an average 30-months post-stroke and 18 health providers. Factors that influenced stroke caregivers' access and use of services included: finances and transportation; challenges caregivers faced in caring for their health; trust that they could leave their family member and trust in health providers; limited information pertaining to services and a lack of suitable services; and the response of their social networks to their caregiving situation. CONCLUSION: Stroke caregivers experience significant challenges in accessing and using formal health and social services. These challenges could be addressed by increasing availability of subsidized community-based supports such as respite and counselling tailored to meet the ongoing needs of caregivers. Systemic change is needed by the health system that readily includes and supports caregivers throughout the stroke recovery continuum, particularly in the community setting.

Transition to adult care for youth with medical complexity: Assessing needs and setting priorities for a health care improvement initiative.

BACKGROUND: Technological advances have led to more youth with medical complexity (YMC) who are living into adulthood and being transferred from pediatric to adult care. The transition to adult care is a complex and challenging process, partly due to differences in how pediatric and adult systems deliver health care. YMC and their families need support from their health care providers to ease this transition. To identify how to better support transitioning YMC, a needs assessment was conducted to examine the current state of transitional support for youth and families cared for by a pediatric Complex Care Program. AIMS: The aims of this needs assessment were to understand the transition practices of pediatric Complex Care Programs, explore transition-related needs of YMC and their families, and identify priorities for future quality improvement. METHODS: This project involved three components: a literature review, a benchmarking survey of pediatric Complex Care Programs in Ontario, and key informant interviews. FINDINGS: The benchmarking survey identified transition planning and transfer of care as areas of strength in the Complex Care Program, while transition readiness and transfer completion provided opportunities for improvement. Stakeholder collaboration, an early start, and knowledgeable providers facilitated a successful transition. Barriers included lack of time, poor access to adult services and resources, higher medical complexity, and inadequate support for adult health care providers. CONCLUSIONS: Recommendations for improving transitional care for YMC are provided, along with resources, tools, and considerations for implementation.

Is feyerabendian philosophy relevant for scientific knowledge development in nursing?

To revitalize nursing science, there is a need for a new approach to guide nurse scientists in addressing complex problems in health care. By applying theoretical concepts from a revolutionary philosopher of science, Paul K. Feyerabend, new nursing knowledge can be produced using creativity and pluralistic approaches. Feyerabend proposed that methods within and outside of science can produce knowledge. Despite the recognition of Feyerabendian philosophy within science, there is currently a lack of literature regarding the relevance of Feyerabendian philosophy for nursing science. We aim to (a) describe and critique Feyerabendian concepts, (b) discuss the potential application of Feyerabendian philosophy for knowledge production within gerontological nursing and (c) describe theoretical possibilities for nurse scientists in using Feyerabendian philosophy to guide nursing knowledge development. We begin by introducing Feyerabend's life and his inspirations for his theoretical concepts, epistemological anarchism, theoretical pluralism and humanitarianism, and conclude by offering suggestions of how to apply Feyerabendian philosophy in nursing research.

An Introduction to Qualitative Health Research.

Within the context of evidence-informed decision making, health care professionals are critical consumers of research evidence. Clinician scientists, including nurse researchers, play a central role in producing this research evidence to inform and improve health practice, education, and policy. Health research is commonly conducted within one of three different paradigms: quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods. Each research approach is underpinned with unique philosophic assumptions, methods, and rhetoric. The evidence produced within each paradigm is necessary to provide health care decision-makers with information about the complex, and intrinsically diverse, human experiences of health and illness. Qualitative health research has been defined as a discipline, which has its roots in qualitative research and yet is unique in its focus, methods, and rules. The focus of qualitative health research is to describe, explore, and explain the health-illness continuum and issues specific to health services or policy contexts. Research designs unique to conducting qualitative health research include qualitative description, interpretive description, focused ethnography, and case study. Each qualitative health research design helps to logically and pragmatically determine the appropriate methods to use to: 1) define a purposeful sample; 2) identify appropriate strategies for data collection; 3) rigorously apply analytic techniques to the gathered data; and 4) present valid findings. In health, qualitative studies are often an integral component of program evaluations to identify and describe contextual factors related to individuals, teams, organizations or social structures that inhibit or facilitate the successful adoption, implementation and delivery of an intervention or program. Findings from qualitative studies can also inform the development of theoretically and contextually relevant assessment tools that can be used in practice.

Beyond the realist turn: a socio-material analysis of heart failure self-care.

For patients living with chronic illnesses, self-care has been linked with positive outcomes such as decreased hospitalisation, longer lifespan, and improved quality of life. However, despite calls for more and better self-care interventions, behaviour change trials have repeatedly fallen short on demonstrating effectiveness. The literature on heart failure (HF) stands as a case in point, and a growing body of HF studies advocate realist approaches to self-care research and policymaking. We label this trend the 'realist turn' in HF self-care. Realist evaluation and realist interventions emphasise that the relationship between self-care interventions and positive health outcomes is not fixed, but contingent on social context. This paper argues socio-materiality offers a productive framework to expand on the idea of social context in realist accounts of HF self-care. This study draws on 10 interviews as well as researcher reflections from a larger study exploring health care teams for patients with advanced HF. Leveraging insights from actor-network theory (ANT), this study provides two rich narratives about the contextual factors that influence HF self-care. These descriptions portray not self-care contexts but self-care assemblages, which we discuss in light of socio-materiality.

Canadian hospital nurses' roles in communication and decision-making about goals of care: An interpretive description of critical incidents.

BACKGROUND: Nurses in acute medical units are uniquely positioned to support goals of care communication. Further understanding of nurse and physician perceptions about hospital nurses' actual and possible roles was required to improve goals of care communication. OBJECTIVE: To critically examine nurse and physician perceptions of the nurse's role in communication with seriously ill patients and their families. DESIGN: We focus on the qualitative component of a mixed method study. We employed an interpretive descriptive approach informed by Flanagan's critical incident technique. SETTINGS: Participants were recruited from the acute medical units at three tertiary care hospitals in three Canadian provinces. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty participants provided interviews (10 from each site): 12 nurses, 9 staff physicians and 9 medical resident physicians. METHODS: Participants' described "critical incidents" they considered as "excellent" or "poor" or "usual" practice. Interviews, were audiotaped and transcribed. Team-based analysis used constant comparison and triangulation to identify healthcare team members' roles in goals of care communication. RESULTS: We identified two major themes from 120 critical incidents: 1) the ambiguous nature of the nurse's role in formal, physician-led, decision-making communication, and 2) embedded in care serious illness communication. Physicians understood nurses' supportive role in relation to their own communication practices that culminated in decisions about care; nurses' reported their roles were determined by unit routines, physician practices and preferences, and their self-confidence in supporting decision-making. Nurses described their unique role in facilitating informal and spontaneous communication with patients and families that was critical background work to physician-led goals of care communication. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses and physicians had different understandings, practices and beliefs about goals of care communication The value of nurses embedded in care work is key to supporting the interprofessional team's work during formal goals of care communication.

Barriers to Goals of Care Discussions With Patients Who Have Advanced Heart Failure: Results of a Multicenter Survey of Hospital-Based Cardiology Clinicians.

BACKGROUND: Conversations about goals of care in hospital are important to patients who have advanced heart failure (HF). METHODS: We conducted a multicenter survey of cardiology nurses, fellows, and cardiologists at 8 Canadian teaching hospitals. The primary outcome was the importance of barriers to goals-of-care discussions in hospital (1 = extremely unimportant; 7 = extremely important). We also elicited perspectives on roles of different practitioners in having these conversations. RESULTS: Questionnaires were returned by 770/1024 (75.2%) eligible clinicians. The most important perceived barriers were: family members' and patients' difficulty in accepting a poor prognosis (mean [SD] score 5.9 [1.1] and 5.7 [1.2], respectively), family members' and patients' lack of understanding about the limitations and harms of life-sustaining treatments (5.8 [1.1] and 5.7 [1.2], respectively), and lack of agreement among family members about goals of care (5.8 [1.2]). Interprofessional team members were viewed as having different but important roles in goals-of-care discussions. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiology clinicians perceive family and patient-related factors as the most important barriers to goals-of-care discussions in hospital. Many members of the interprofessional team were viewed as having important roles in addressing goals of care. These findings can inform the design of future interventions to improve communication about goals of care in advanced HF.

The role of unregulated care providers in managing heart failure patients in long-term care facilities.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Heart failure is a complex syndrome in which abnormal heart function results in clinical symptoms and signs of low cardiac output and/or pulmonary or systemic congestion. Heart failure is common among long-term care residents, and is associated with significant morbidity and acute care utilisation. Heart failure guidelines endorse standard therapies, yet long-term care residents are less likely to receive recommended treatments. The objective of this study is to understand the perceptions and potential role of unregulated care providers in contributing to better heart failure management among long-term care residents. DESIGN: Focus group interviews. METHODS: This qualitative study employed focus groups to explore perceptions from 24 unregulated care providers in three Ontario, Canada long-term care homes, about barriers to the optimal management of heart failure. RESULTS: Three overarching concepts emerged characterising unregulated care providers' experiences in caring for residents with heart failure in long-term care: (1) the complexity of providing heart failure care in a long-term care setting, (2) striving for resident-centred decision making and (3) unregulated care providers role enactment nested within an interprofessional team in long-term care. These concepts reflect the complex interplay between individual unregulated care providers and residents, and heart failure-related, socio-cultural and organisational factors that influence heart failure care processes in the long-term care system. CONCLUSIONS: Optimising the management of heart failure in long-term care is contingent on greater engagement of unregulated care providers as active partners in the interprofessional care team. Interventions to improve heart failure management in long-term care must ensure that appropriate education is provided to all long-term care staff, including unregulated care providers, and in a manner that fosters greater and more effective interprofessional collaboration. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Active and collaborative engagement unregulated care providers has the potential to improve the management of heart failure in long-term care residents.

A systematic review of patient heart failure self-care strategies.

BACKGROUND: Self-care is at the foundation for living with a chronic condition such as heart failure (HF). Patients with HF express difficulty with translating self-care knowledge into understanding "how" to engage in these activities and behaviors. Understanding the strategies that patients develop to engage in self-care will help healthcare providers (HCPs) improve support for unmet self-care needs of HF patients. The purpose of this systematic review was to highlight strategies that HF patients use to accommodate self-care recommendations into the reality of their daily lives. METHODS: A systematic review using qualitative meta-synthesis was carried out. Included studies had to contain a qualitative component and data pertaining to self-care of HF from adults older than 18 years and be published as full papers/theses beginning 1995. Ten databases were searched until March 19, 2012. RESULTS: Of 1421 papers identified by the search, 47 were included. Studies involved the following: 1377 patients, 45% women, mean age of 67 years (range, 25-98 years), 145 caregivers, and 15 HCPs. Approaches to self-care reflected both perception- and action-based strategies and were a means to effectively manage HF. Although HF patients often expressed difficulty on how to integrate self-care recommendations into their daily lives, they developed intentional, planned strategies that harnessed previous experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare providers must appreciate that patients view self-care as an "adaptation" that they undertake to maintain their independence and quality of life. In addition, HCPs must recognize that because self-care is a process of learning over time from experience, an individualized approach that emphasizes how to self-care must be adopted for patients to develop the necessary HF self-care skills.

Improving support for heart failure patients: a systematic review to understand patients' perspectives on self-care.

AIMS: This systematic review aimed to generate patient-focussed recommendations to enhance support of heart failure self-care by examining patients' experiences, perspectives and self-care behaviours. BACKGROUND: Despite increased recognition of the importance of heart failure self-care, patients' knowledge and practices around this self-care and interventions to improve it are inconsistent. Consequently, current guidelines focus on what the domains of heart failure self-care are, more so than the ways to improve this care. DESIGN: Systematic review and qualitative interpretive synthesis. DATA SOURCES: A systematic, comprehensive and detailed search of 11 databases was conducted until March, 2012 for papers published 1995-2012: 37 studies were included (1343 patients, 75 caregivers, 63 health care professionals) that contained a qualitative research component and data on adult patients' heart failure self-care. REVIEW METHODS: This interpretive synthesis used a recognized approach consisting of a multi-stage analytic process; in addition, the included studies underwent quality appraisal. RESULTS: Findings indicate that while patients could often recall health professionals' self-care advice, they were unable to integrate this knowledge into daily life. Attempts to manage HF were based on how patients 'felt' rather than clinical indicators of worsening symptoms. Self-efficacy and learning from past management experiences facilitated favourable outcomes - these enabled patients and caregivers to adeptly apply self-care strategies into daily activities. CONCLUSIONS: Addressing common but basic knowledge misconceptions regarding the domains of HF self-care is insufficient to increase effective HF self-care; this should be supplemented with strategies with patients and family members to promote self-efficacy, learning and adaptation/application of recommendations to daily life.

Reliability of vascular access site bruise measurement.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Vascular access site (VAS) bruising is common following invasive cardiac procedures. The extent of VAS bruising is underreported because of the lack of reliable measurement methods. This study examined the reliability of linear measurement and planimetry to measure VAS bruise size. METHODS: There were 40 participants with VAS bruising after invasive cardiac procedures who completed VAS bruise measurement. Participants, a principal investigator, and a research assistant completed measurements independently. Inter-rater reliability was determined using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), 2-way random effects model. RESULTS: The ICC for linear measurement and planimetry was high (.929 and .914 respectively). Both methods were reliable measures of VAS bruise size. CONCLUSIONS: Linear measurement or planimetry can be used with confidence to measure VAS bruising in clinical and research contexts.

Context matters in heart failure self-care: a qualitative systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this work was to identify the main contextual factors and processes that influence patients' self-care of heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS: A systematic review was conducted with the use of qualitative meta-synthesis. Ten databases were searched up to March 19, 2012. Of the 1,421 papers identified by the systematic search, 45 studies were included in this meta-synthesis. To be included, studies had to contain a qualitative research component, data pertaining to self-care of HF from adults (≥18 y) and be published as full papers or theses since 1995. These studies involved: 1,398 patients (mean age 65.9 y), 180 caregivers, and 63 health professionals. Six main types of contextual factors were found to influence HF self-care in the studies: caregivers; social networks and social support; place; finances and financial capacity; work and occupation; and HF support groups and programs. CONCLUSION: HF self-care is influenced by contextual elements that fall outside of traditional elements of a HF self-care program. Inclusion of these elements may help to address the current concerns about poor adherence to self-management programs.

Managing heart failure in the long-term care setting: nurses' experiences in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Implementation of heart failure guidelines in long-term care (LTC) settings is challenging. Understanding the conditions of nursing practice can improve management, reduce suffering, and prevent hospital admission of LTC residents living with heart failure. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to understand the experiences of LTC nurses managing care for residents with heart failure. METHODS: This was a descriptive qualitative study nested in Phase 2 of a three-phase mixed methods project designed to investigate barriers and solutions to implementing the Canadian Cardiovascular Society heart failure guidelines into LTC homes. Five focus groups totaling 33 nurses working in LTC settings in Ontario, Canada, were audiorecorded, then transcribed verbatim, and entered into NVivo9. A complex adaptive systems framework informed this analysis. Thematic content analysis was conducted by the research team. Triangulation, rigorous discussion, and a search for negative cases were conducted. Data were collected between May and July 2010. RESULTS: Nurses characterized their experiences managing heart failure in relation to many influences on their capacity for decision-making in LTC settings: (a) a reactive versus proactive approach to chronic illness; (b) ability to interpret heart failure signs, symptoms, and acuity; (c) compromised information flow; (d) access to resources; and (e) moral distress. DISCUSSION: Heart failure guideline implementation reflects multiple dynamic influences. Leadership that addresses these factors is required to optimize the conditions of heart failure care and related nursing practice.

The relationship between religious service attendance and coronary heart disease and related risk factors in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Research suggests that attending religious services could provide small yet important protective benefits against coronary heart disease (CHD) and CHD risk factors (e.g., diabetes, hypertension). The extent to which these benefits apply to Canada deserves study because approximately one-third of adult Canadians attend religious services at least monthly. Therefore, the objective of this study is to examine the association between frequency of religious service attendance and prevalence of (1) CHD, (2) diabetes, and (3) hypertension in Canada. We used the Saskatchewan sample (n = 5,442) of the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS-4.1) and built multivariable logistic regression models to evaluate associations between religious service attendance and self-reported CHD, diabetes, and hypertension. After controlling for demographic, socioeconomic and health behavior variables, the association between religious service attendance and prevalence of CHD was not significant (OR = 0.82; 95 % CI 0.61-1.11). However, persons who attended religious services more than once a week exhibited lower prevalence odds of diabetes (OR = 0.60; 95 % CI 0.45-0.80) and hypertension (OR = 0.82; 95 % CI 0.68-0.99) compared to persons who attended less than once a year. The findings of this study are the first to suggest religious service attendance may be associated with a lower prevalence of CHD risk factors in Canada.

Attending religious services and its relationship with coronary heart disease and related risk factors in older adults: a qualitative study of church pastors' and parishioners' perspectives.

A qualitative study was undertaken to explain findings of a cross-sectional study of Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) 4.1 data showing older persons who attend religious services more than once a week, compared to persons who do not attend at all, have lower prevalences of coronary heart disease (CHD), diabetes and high blood pressure. Twelve semi-structured interviews with ordained pastors and three focus groups with older parishioners from Canadian churches were conducted. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed for emergent themes through a process of direct content analysis. All participants claimed that religious service attendance (RSA): (1) enhances mental health; (2) provides social support and activities; and (3) promotes health and lifestyle behaviours that lower CHD risk. These three themes appear to be underlying mechanisms that help to explain the inverse association between RSA and the prevalence of adverse health outcomes found in the CCHS 4.1 data.

Exploring the Role of Nurses in Advance Care Planning Within Long-Term Care Homes: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Residents in long-term care homes (LTCHs) are often diagnosed with chronic, life-limiting illnesses, and it is now a common site to provide high levels of care and eventual death. There is an urgent need to address communication gaps and uncertainties surrounding resident's end of life preferences. Nurses are well situated to be key facilitators of necessary advance care planning (ACP), ensuring residents have discussions with family, substitute decision-makers and healthcare providers regarding future health and personal care preferences. However, LTCHs present unique challenges for nurses due to not only complex comorbidities but also staffing dynamics. Purpose: This study explored the experiences and perceptions of Registered Nurses (RNs) and Registered Practical Nurse (RPNs) in LTCHs regarding their role in engaging residents and families in ACP discussions. Methods: Qualitative interpretive descriptive methodology was used. Data were collected from two LTCHs in Southern Ontario with a sample of 15 nurses (7 RNs and 8 RPNs). Analysis involved review of semistructured interviews, field notes, and utilizing constant comparison within an inductive approach. Results: Power and authority dynamics in LTCH's was an overarching theme in the data, with four subthemes: (1) Nurses lacking clarity about ACP, (2) nurses' uncertainty regarding their role in ACP, (3) nurses feeling uncomfortable engaging in ACP discussions, and (4) nurses struggling to support families in ACP discussions. Conclusion: Recommendations for nurses, healthcare providers, LTCH administrators, and policy makers include: (1) development of policies which support, from a systemic level, nurses to feel safe while engaging in ACP; (2) reassessing LTCH's hierarchical structure, and clarifying RN, RPN, and interdisciplinary team members roles in ACP; (3) developing culture change that allows a team and person-centered approach to ACP; and (4) providing ongoing education and mentorship for nurses to manage family dynamics and expand their understanding of ACP beyond a biomedical lens.