Family involvement in rehabilitation: Coronary artery disease-patients' perspectives.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe coronary artery disease patients' perceptions of family involvement in rehabilitation and the connection between background factors and family involvement. BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease patients' hospital stays can be very concise. Family members can support rehabilitation, but many challenges can emerge. There is a need to nurture patients and family members in an individual way and to recognise their concerns. More accurate patient education should be available for patients and their family members. DESIGN: This study is a descriptive cross-sectional study. METHODS: Data were collected from patients with coronary artery disease at least 6 weeks after discharge from hospital (n = 169) with a postal questionnaire. The Family Involvement in Rehabilitation (FIRE) scale measures family members' promotion of patients' rehabilitation and issues encumbering rehabilitation in family. The data have been analysed with statistical methods. Both parametric and nonparametric tests were used to evaluate group differences. RESULTS: Patients with coronary artery disease perceived that family promotes their rehabilitation significantly. Respondents also perceived challenges at home. Family relations before hospitalisation were related to all subareas of family promoting rehabilitation and one subarea of issues encumbering rehabilitation in family. Patients with symptoms at rest also had more encumbrance on their rehabilitation. Patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery perceived more challenges than percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients in many subareas of issues encumbering rehabilitation in family. CONCLUSIONS: Family relations prior to illness and the rigour of heart symptoms are significantly relevant to challenges that can occur between patient and their family members. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare staff need to pay attention to coronary artery disease patients' individual situation, and patient education should be more family-centred. In the future, it would be noteworthy to collect more data from family members of patients with coronary artery disease and to find out their perceptions of family involvement.

Family composition and living arrangements-Cross-sectional study on family involvement to self-managed rehabilitation of people with coronary artery disease.

Aim: To describe the family composition and living arrangements of persons diagnosed with coronary artery disease and those relationships to family involvement in self-managed rehabilitation. Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: Data were collected with postal questionnaire from persons diagnosed with coronary artery disease (CAD) by using the Family Involvement in Rehabilitation (FIRE) scale. It measures family members' promotion of patients' rehabilitation and issues encumbering rehabilitation in family. Statistical methods were used to analyse the data. Results: Patients' gender and having children in the family were predictors of issues encumbering rehabilitation in the family. But when examining living arrangements, patients who lived with a spouse or underage children had a better environment for recovery than those who lived alone or with adult children. More attention should be paid to targeting appropriate support for persons with coronary artery disease and their family members during the rehabilitation phase.

Evidence-based practices in Finland based on nurse professionals' descriptions.

AIM: Evidence-based practices (EBPs) seek to promote the implementation of interventions that are effective, appropriate, feasible and meaningful for patients. The current demand for updated EBPs in Finland is shaped by national legislation. This study's aim was to describe nurses', nurse directors' and clinical nurse specialists' (CNSs') perceptions of how well EBPs are being implemented in nursing in Finland. METHODS: In this quantitative descriptive study, the data were collected with an e-questionnaire distributed in Finland in 2017 and analysed using descriptive statistical methods. RESULTS: A total of 1063 nurses and 340 nurse directors and CNSs participated. The majority of nurses (64%, n = 669) reported that evidence is not clearly used to develop clinical practices. Most nurses (67%, n = 702) and over half of nurse directors and CNSs (57%, n = 184) also observed that knowledge of evidence-based protocols is not widespread within their organizations. However, 39% of nurses (n = 407) and 53% of nurse directors and CNSs (n = 171) stated that they are developing EBPs. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that nurses need more support to implement EBPs.