Undertreatment of pain and lack of knowledge about pain management have been evident for approximately two decades. Because nurses are often the cornerstone of pain management, nurses' knowledge in this area is especially important. This paper explores indications of progress in the level of nursing knowledge about basic aspects of pain management. The literature is reviewed and findings from r...

To address the need for more information on predictors of adherence to heart failure (HF) self-management regimens, this study analyzed surveys completed by 259 HF patients receiving care at 2 Veterans Affairs hospitals in 2003. Linear multivariable regression models were used to examine general health status, HF-specific health status (Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire) self-management ...

AIM To investigate whether participation in a clinical audit and education session would improve GP management of patients who smoke. METHODS GPs who participated in an associated smoking cessation research program were invited to complete a three-stage clinical audit. This process included a retrospective self-audit of smoking cessation management practices over the 6 months prior to commenc...

background and objectives: the increasing pressure on health systems to improve quality of health care,require them to develop novel conceptual framework and indices aimed at evaluating decision variables in the contemporary complex community. customer quality is a newly introduced concept addressing capability of patients in contribution to healthcare process and cooperation with healthcare pr...

Arthritis self-management programs (ASMPs) are integrated into many clinical practice guidelines and policies, and are the core business of Arthritis Foundations. Australian Arthritis Foundations are embarking on a National Quality Assurance Program which should raise awareness and improve confidence in such programs. ASMPs aim to empower people, improve quality of life while living with chroni...

INTRODUCTION Although improved anticoagulation therapy outcomes have been demonstrated in clinical trials evaluating warfarin patient self-management (PSM) programs, these studies did not provide detailed information regarding PSM program development and patient training. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the feasibility of and methods for developing and administering an education program to support a no...