Background: Cardiac surgeries rank among the most frequent surgical procedures and present a risk of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP). A continuum approach is required to prevent the development of CPSP. As a first step, a tailored webbased intervention was developed and successfully tested to tackle pain management during hospitalization. Before proceeding to further development, preliminary acceptability of the intervention including the postdischarge phase must be evaluated. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine nurses' perception of a tailored Web-based intervention for pain management in the early recovery phase. The objectives were to evaluate intervention's acceptability and to identify ways to enhance its acceptability. Methods: A parallel mixed methods approach was used to assess the acceptability of the intervention in the early recovery phase (first month after surgery). Results: In total, 249 participants completed the online survey and 10 participants were individually interviewed. Overall, the intervention was rated as acceptable. No difference was found in acceptability ratings by demographics. The intervention was rated as appropriate to very much appropriate by 79% of participants. Although nurses seemingly would recommend it to their patients, they did not perceive that their patients would be as highly willing to use it. Interviews highlighted several strengths of the intervention, such as postoperative pain awareness, customization of content, and flexible dosage and schedule. However, the main weakness was related to patient adherence. Opting for a hybrid format and integrating individual preferences could enhance the coaching experience. Conclusion: The innovative intervention was judged as acceptable for pain management in the early recovery phase. Considering that the intervention has demonstrated positive effects on the pain experience in the first week after cardiac surgery, it seems logical to explore its potential impact after discharge on the transition to CPSP.

Knowledge about the moderators that influenced intervention outcomes can assist public health nurses in tailoring health promotion programs for underserved populations that can be implemented in community settings.

Objectives To explore gender and racial differences in heart failure (HF) self-care processes and examine whether gender and race predict HF self-care. Methods A secondary analysis of baseline data ( n = 107) from a longitudinal HF study (54.2% males; 56% non-Caucasians) was conducted. The self-care of heart failure index was used to measure self-care maintenance, management, and confidence. Descriptive statistics and univariate analyses examined gender and racial differences in HF self-care outcomes. Multiple linear regression examined whether gender and race predicted HF self-care maintenance, management, and confidence. Results Univariate analyses indicated that Caucasians reported significantly better self-care maintenance ( p = 0.042), while non-Caucasians reported significantly better self-care management ( p = 0.003). Males had significantly higher self-care confidence scores versus women ( p = 0.017). Multiple regression analysis indicated Caucasian race predicted significantly worse self-care management (β = −11.188; p = 0.006) versus non-Caucasian, while male gender predicted significantly higher self-care confidence scores (β = 7.592; p = 0.010) versus female gender. Gender nor race significantly predicted self-care maintenance. Discussion Although gender and race may influence HF self-care, other factors may be more important. More research is needed to identify individual factors that contribute to HF self-care to improve education and intervention.

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Heart failure is a serious and complex chronic illness and family caregivers often assist these individuals in performing self-care. Unsurprisingly, caregivers often are overwhelmed by daily activities associated with heart failure management and frequently have depressive symptoms. This study examined predictors (i.e., sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, social support, social problem-solving, family functioning, and objective and subjective burden) of depressive symptoms in 530 informal caregivers of individuals with heart failure in a large cross-sectional, descriptive study in the community. Younger caregivers who provided care for longer periods of time, lived in rural areas, and had less social support and lower problem-solving skills were more likely to have depressive symptoms. These findings emphasize the need for further studies to develop dynamic and innovative approaches that incorporate multiple components to lessen caregiving challenges. Social support and problem-solving skills training may be useful components to lessen depressive symptoms in these younger, rural caregivers.