OBJECTIVE To examine mastery of life skills necessary for independent adulthood among perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) and perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (PHIV-) youth. METHODS Participants were recruited from four medical centers in New York City as part of a longitudinal study. Data for this article came from interviews of 150 PHIV+ and 95 PHIV- youth (age 13-24 years) and their car...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the perception of disease severity in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), investigating its relationship with clinical score, radiographic score, respiratory function tests, adherence to treatment and perception of self-care practices. METHODS Prospective, cross-sectional study involving CF patients treated in a program for adults with CF. The perception of disease sever...

Telecare is defined as care practiced at a distance. It is an effective strategy for improving the self-health care management of home-patients with chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to explore the intent to use of telehealth patients. The correlation between the self-care behaviors, the intent to use of telehealth, and the effects on physiological indicators of patients with chro...

This thought article was a hermeneutic inquiry into the experiences of informal caregivers of the elderly who are also physically disabled. The experiences of some Ghanaian informal caregivers were examined in three clinical cases and laced with the lived experiences of the author as an informal caregiver and clinician. Two processes were explored. The first relates to how a caregiver is change...

BACKGROUND Self-care practices in heart failure (HF) contribute to quality of life, symptom stabilization, and extended life expectancy. However, adherence to practices such as liquid and salt restriction or symptom monitoring require high motivation on a daily basis. The aim was to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of a nursing intervention with family caregive...

In all systems of health care there are certain essential levels of care and service. These take the form of self-care within the family unit; primary professional care by general medical nursing or social practitioners within a local neighbourhood; general specialist care in a district and super-specialist care in a region. Each of these has its own special roles and responsibilities and each ...

Venous leg ulceration has a high recurrence rate. Patients with healed or frequently recurring venous ulceration are required to perform self-care behaviours to prevent recurrence or promote healing, but evidence suggests that many find these difficult to perform. Bandura's self-efficacy theory is a widely used and robust behaviour change model and underpins many interventions designed to promo...

This article provides oncology nurses with an overview of high-dose-rate brachytherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer. Many treatment options are available for men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Oncology nurses must know about this potential treatment option so they can provide appropriate education, support, and self-care management advice. Program requirements, patient eligibility, and...

BACKGROUND Migrants are more likely to use out-of-hours primary care, especially for nonurgent problems. Their motives and expectations for help-seeking are as yet unknown. The objective of this study is to examine the motives and expectations of migrants for contacting out-of-hours primary care. METHODS We used data from a survey study of 11,483 patients who contacted a General Practitioner ...

BACKGROUND Transitioning from hospital to home is challenging for many older people living with chronic health conditions. Transitional care facilitates safe and timely transfer of patients between levels of care and across care settings and includes communication between practitioners, assessment and planning, preparation, medication reconciliation, follow-up care and self-management education...