No abstract

Objectives: To determine the effect of guided imagery (GI) on functional outcomes of total knee replacement (TKR), explore psychological and neuroimmune mediators, and assess feasibility of study implementation. Design: Investigator-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study. Settings: Hospital, surgeon's office, participant's home. Participants: 82 persons undergoing TKR. Interventions: Audiorecordings of TKR-specific GI scripts or placebo-control audiorecordings of audiobook segments. Outcome measures: Gait velocity and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) Function scale.Results: Outcomes for 58 participants (29 receiving GI and 29 controls) were analyzed at 6 months after surgery. The most frequent reason for noncompletion was protocol-driven exclusion at 6 months for having the contralateral knee replaced before the study endpoint (n = 15). With imaging ability as a moderator, gait velocity, but not WOMAC Function score, was significantly improved at 6 months in the GI group. Participants in the GI group, but not the control group, had lower WOMAC Pain scores at 3 weeks after surgery than at baseline. Hair cortisol concentration was significantly lower at 6 months after surgery than at baseline in the GI group but not the control group. GI group participants had lower treatment adherence but greater treatment credibility than the control group. Conclusion: Randomized controlled trials of GI in the TKR population are feasible, but inclusion/exclusion criteria influence attrition. Further studies are needed to elaborate this study's findings, which suggest that guided imagery improves objective, but not patient-reported, outcomes of TKR. Hair cortisol concentration results suggest that engagement in a time-limited guided imagery intervention may contribute to stress reduction even after the intervention is terminated. Further investigation into optimal content and dosing of GI is needed.

No abstract

No abstract

Clinical research is necessary for developing nursing's body of knowledge and improving the quality of gastroenterology nursing care. The support and participation of nursing staff are crucial to conducting interventional research. Identification of characteristics of nurses and their work settings that facilitate or impede participation in research is needed. The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to examine the effect of personal and professional characteristics and attitudes about nursing research on staff nurses' participation in a clinical nursing research project. A questionnaire measuring nurses' attitudes, perceptions of availability of support, and research use was distributed to staff nurses working on an endoscopy lab and two same-day surgery units where a nursing research study had recently been conducted. Investigator-developed items measured nurses' attitudes about the utility and feasibility of the interventions tested in the original study. A total of 36 usable questionnaires comprised the sample. Factor analysis of the two questionnaires resulted in three-factor (Importance of Research, Interest in Research, and Environment Support of Research) and two-factor (Value of Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions [CBIs] and Participation in Study) solutions, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in mean scores for the five factors between nurses who did (n = 19) and those who did not (n = 17) participate in the original study. The Participation in Research Factor was significantly negatively correlated with years in nursing (r = -.336, p < .05) and positively correlated with the importance of research factor (r = .501, p < .01). Importance of research was negatively correlated with years in nursing (r = -.435, p < .01) and positively correlated with value of CBI (r = .439, p < .01) and participation in study (r = .501, p < .01). Findings from the study will contribute to the body of knowledge about factors that facilitate or impede staff nurses' involvement in research. This knowledge will be useful for nurse researchers planning intervention studies to forecast and foster staff nurse involvement in their projects. Findings may also be useful to nurse managers, nurse educators, and staff development personnel in assessing and promoting staff nurses' involvement in research.

No abstract

Secondary analysis of existing data offers many advantages to the nurse researcher. Data from large-scale studies may be reanalyzed and refined by secondary analysts with a fresh perspective, thus enhancing the original study's contribution to scientific knowledge. High-quality data can be obtained for comparatively little expenditure of time and money. The secondary analyst, however, must exercise care in evaluating and analyzing a data set to maximize the internal and external validity of the reanalysis. Because the secondary analyst's lack of involvement in data collection procedures may decrease insight into the original study's limitations, vigilant skepticism should accompany all phases of the research process in secondary data analysis, just as it should in all other research. Miller (1982) advised, "Begin by assuming the worst and seek out the same kinds of information about sample selection procedures, sample size, response rates, field procedures, and coding conventions that you would insist on if you were collecting your own data" (p. 722). By systematically evaluating potential data sets according to rigorous predetermined criteria, the nurse researcher can minimize the possible pitfalls inherent in secondary analysis. On the other hand, investigators who use secondary sources appropriately can make significant contributions to nursing science at less cost than that engendered by traditional research methods.

Nursing interventions should focus on helping adolescents and parents build interpersonal relationship and communication skills. Aggressive diagnosis and treatment of mood disturbance in the parent with CNCP should be part of a holistic treatment plan.