Assessment of emotional status of orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia.

PURPOSE: To describe the emotional status of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in two communities in Zambia. METHODS: The Health Ed Connect Adaptation Questionnaire (HECAQ) was used to interview 306 OVC and 158 primary caregivers in Zambia in 2010. FINDINGS: Child participants and caregivers reported evidence of emotional distress behaviors in the majority of OVC. CONCLUSIONS: More research to evaluate the efficacy of intervention programs for loss and grief, normal and abnormal reactions to grief, and positive coping skills is needed to assist both children and their caretakers. In the population studied, caregivers and OVC could benefit from additional support for promoting emotional health and managing emotional distress in vulnerable children. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Healthcare professionals play a key role in promoting the emotional health of OVC through identification of deviant behaviors and the development of interventions to alleviate emotional and psychological distress.

Primary Care Clinic Nurse Activities with a Telehealth Monitoring System.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in the types of nursing activities and communication processes reported in a primary care clinic between patients who used a home-based monitoring system to electronically communicate self-monitored blood glucose and blood pressure values and those who assumed usual care. Data were extracted from electronic medical records from individuals who participated in a randomized controlled trial comparing in-home monitoring and usual care in patients with Type 2 diabetes and hypertension being treated in a primary care clinic. Data about nursing activities initiated by primary care clinic nurses were compared between groups using descriptive statistics and independent t-tests. Significant differences between groups were identified for the direct care nursing activities of providing lifestyle and health education, medication adjustments, and patient follow-up. This study provides evidence of greater nursing activity reported in a primary care clinic in patients who utilized a home-based monitoring system.