Congestive Heart Failure – One of the Most Devastating Diseases

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Theoretical foundation for the topic
The review of the literature
Recommendations for practice
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Human health is one of the core elements or pillars of human growth and development. Despite the crucial and inevitable need for good health, human beings among other living creatures are affected by various diseases which jeopardize their wellbeing. One of the most devastating disease affecting human beings is congestive heart failure (CHF). This disease has been overwhelmingly rampant in recent days following the changing lifestyles. CHF in this case refers to a condition of the heart being unable to supply sufficient blood flow. Different nursing studies have shown that CHF is a disabling and costly disease. Both developed and developing nations have fallen victims of this disease, whereby developed nations have recorded over 2% of adults suffering from the disease. Based on these insights, it is evident that the disease is a serious calamity to the human society thus calling for efficient management strategies. This research study will explore the management strategies for congestive heart failure. By undertaking the research study, valuable insights will be established which will be of help to the nursing fraternity in offering effective solutions and management of CHF.

The study will be based on a nursing guideline established by The National Collaborating Centre for Acute and Chronic Conditions. The guideline offers an elaborate structure on the management of chronic heart failure in adults in secondary and primary care. The guideline is published in UK by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in Aug 2010 in page 45. The relevance and effectiveness of the guideline is beyond doubt since it is very explicit and simple to follow in management of CHF in all phases from primary to palliative care. Based on the guideline, the study will be focused on all aspects in the management of CHF. The study will incorporate diverse insights from different nursing researches to support the ideas in the guideline.

Theoretical foundation for the topic

In executing the research study, the comfort theory by Katharine Kolcaba will be adopted. This is a very efficient theory in addressing nursing issues and more precisely the management of CHF. Comfort theory has overwhelming insights which are correlated with the guideline on the management of CHF. It is a middle range theory for addressing nursing, education and health practice issues. Past research on the use of the theory has shown that it is an effective tool in offering solutions to nursing research. Some of the key concepts entailed in this theory include ease, relief and transcendence which are in this case relevant in the management of CHF. The theory stands to be crucial in this study based on the fact that it addresses all issues of patient comfort. Physical, environmental, psychological and sociocultural aspects of patient comfort are addressed by this theory.

By relying on the comfort theory, admirable insights on the management of CHF will be established. This is so because the theory gives the researcher an insight on the special issues to be addressed in intervening the patient’s situation. A point worth of consideration is that comfort theory takes into consideration the health care needs of the patients, intervening variables, comfort, and health seeking behavior. In regards to this scenario, it is evident that adoption of this theory in conducting the nursing research will help in realization of admirable results. All aspects and issues entailing the needs and comfort of a CHF patient will be adequately addressed through the use of this theory.

The review of the literature

A diverse number of peer reviewed articles on nursing research were adopted. A special concern was put in the selection of the articles whereby articles concerning the management of CHF were preferred. This ensured a high sense of relevance of the collected information and data. The search for the articles adopted in the study was primarily from online data bases which included the medical libraries and public libraries. The search terms for the articles entailed the use of terms like management of CHF, best nursing practices for intervening patients with CHF, and Care for Cardiac patients. In addition, a special consideration was put in ensuring that sources ranged from 10 years to 1 year. By considering this range, the relevance of the information collected was guaranteeing in demonstrating current literature in the topic. The articles used in the study are as follows:

Articles on Nursing practices in management of CHF

Alexander, M. et al. (2006). Nursing Practice: Hospital and Home: The Adult. Journal of Clinical Nursing, Vol 2(2), 29-77.
Fogel, C. and Woods, N. (2008). Quality of Care by Race and Gender for Congestive Heart Failure and Pneumonia. Medical Care, Vol 37(12), 1260-1269.
Baliga, R. et al. (2008). Management of Heart Failure. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vol 43 (11), 2028-2035.
Lundy, K. and Janes, S. (2009). Community Health Nursing: Caring for the Public’s Health. Western Journal of Nursing Research, Vol 12(1), 758-776.

The above highlighted articles have numerous information and guidelines concerning nursing practices in response to CHF. The articles have great similarity in the sense that they all offer valuable insights on what nurses should do to intervene cases of CHF. This element demonstrates the relevance and worth of the articles in addressing the topic.

Articles on Best management practices for CHF Patients

Garad, J. (2007). Health Science Literature review made easy. The matrix method (2^ndEd). Boston: Prentice Hall.
Kazer, M. (2006). Nursing Research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol 2(1), 17-42.
Nieswiadomy, R.M. (2008). Foundations of nursing research (6th Ed). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

The above articles by Garad J., Kazer M. and Nieswiadomy are highly authentic in expounding on the best practices in the management of CHF patients. The articles offer guidelines on what patients and their aides should do. For instance, lifestyle issues like diet, exercise and avoidance of alcohol as well as tobacco have been adequately discussed. These ideas are very crucial in addressing the topic thus signifying the relevance of the articles.

Articles on Causes and preventive measures of CHF

Ward, C. and Witham, M. (2009). A Practical Guide to Heart Failure in Older People. European Journal of Heart Failure, Vol 7 (1), 411-417.
McLaughlin, M. and Bulla, S. (2010). Real Stories of Nursing Research: The Quest for Magnet Recognition. British Medical Journal, Vol 11(6), 315-321.

The above outlined articles have provided overwhelming ideas on the causes and preventive measures for congestive heart failure. Since CHF is a progressive disease, knowledge on the causes and preventive measures is very vital. These articles are thereby very essential in establishing the literature on the management of CHF.

Recommendations for practice

The articles reviewed in the literature on the management of CHF have been highly correlated with the guideline. The information in the articles has been in support on the guideline on the management of CHF. All the articles adopted in the study have sufficiently addressed all aspects in the management of the disease. Since all the articles are peer reviewed, the authenticity of the information they contain can not be doubted. The guideline should be embraced for its efficiency in addressing the disease. It is worth noting the guideline has received significant support from the information gained from the articles. This signifies its worth and relevance in addressing the topic. Nursing practitioners as well as the general society should adopt the guideline as well as the inferences developed in the study. In regard to the analysis of the guideline, it is presently efficient in addressing the issue of CHF and should thus remain as it is.

Conclusion

The literature review has provided abundant information in addressing the management of CHF. The studies of the various scholars who have been consulted in the literature review have provided overwhelming insights in intervening patients with CHF. The major aspects of CHF management have been addressed by the literature review thus providing a holistic guideline for nursing practitioners. However, the literature has only been concerned on the management and curative measures for CHF and evaded the causes. Since CHF is a progressive disease, there is every need to focus on the causes. This raises gaps in literature thus calling for future researchers to look at the causes and potential factors that influence the development of CHF.

References

Alexander, M. et al. (2006). Nursing Practice: Hospital and Home: The Adult. New York: Churchill Livingstone.

Baliga, R. et al. (2008). Management of Heart Failure. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vol 43 (11), 2028-2035.

Fogel, C. and Woods, N. (2008). Quality of Care by Race and Gender for Congestive Heart Failure and Pneumonia. Medical Care, Vol 37(12), 1260-1269.

Garad, J. (2007). Health Science Literature review made easy. The matrix method (2^ndEd). Boston: Prentice Hall.

Kazer, M. (2006). Nursing Research. Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol 2(1), 17-42.

Lundy, K. and Janes, S. (2009). Community Health Nursing: Caring for the Public’s Health. Western Journal of Nursing Research, Vol 12(1), 758-776.

McLaughlin, M. and Bulla, S. (2010). Real Stories of Nursing Research: The Quest for Magnet Recognition. British Medical Journal, Vol 11(6), 315-321.

Nieswiadomy, R.M. (2008). Foundations of nursing research (6th Ed). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall

Ward, C. and Witham, M. (2009). A Practical Guide to Heart Failure in Older People. European Journal of Heart Failure, Vol 7 (1), 411-417.

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