Background COVID-19 forced many colleges and schools of nursing to abruptly pivot face-to-face learning to online formats. Online teaching is not new, but some faculty have not taught in a virtual environment and rapidly transitioning courses online was challenging. It is not known if teacher self-efficacy was impacted by these circumstances. Objectives We aimed to assess online teacher self-efficacy of nursing faculty who transitioned at least one-face-to face course to an online format. We hypothesized that faculty with previous online teaching experience and greater self-rated instructional support would demonstrate higher online teacher self-efficacy scores compared to faculty who had little or no online teaching experience or reported less satisfaction with instructional support. Design A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used. Setting Faculty from ten universities across the United States were recruited. Participants Nursing faculty ( N = 84) who transitioned at least one face-to-face course to an online format during COVID-19 were included in the study. Methods Participants completed the 32-item Michigan Nurse Educators Sense of Efficacy for Online Teaching (MNESEOT) instrument and a demographic questionnaire which included items about prior online teaching experience and instructional support. Results Participants scored overall teacher self-efficacy high (75th percentile). “Computer skills” were scored highest while “student engagement” scored lowest. Prior online teaching was a predictor of higher online teacher self-efficacy; however, instructional support was not a predictor of higher online teacher self-efficacy. Conclusion Nursing faculty reported a high level of online teacher self-efficacy during an abrupt pivot from face-to-face teaching to a virtual format. Pre-emptive opportunities to teach online can build self-efficacy for novice faculty. Faculty and students will benefit from improving student engagement skills, especially during isolating and overwhelming events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The findings indicate depression, anxiety, stress, 6-minute walk distance, and social support play important roles in HRQOL among patients with PH. Advanced practice nursing strategies to increase HRQOL include counseling, psychiatric referrals, psychotherapy, guided imagery, leading support groups, and low-grade resistance training.

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Pulmonary hypertension is a potentially fatal disease. Despite pharmacological advances in pulmonary hypertension, fatigue remains common in patients with pulmonary hypertension.A convenience sample of 120 participants at an international patient conference completed the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI)-20 scale. Data on New York Heart Association Functional Class, body mass index, oxygen use and medication type/use were also collected.There was a high prevalence of “severe” to “very severe” fatigue for each dimension: General Fatigue (60%), Physical Fatigue (55.8%), Reduced Activity (41.7%), Reduced Motivation (32.5%) and Mental Fatigue (27.5%). The mean±sd overall MFI-20 score was 58±5.1. Dimensions with the highest averaged levels were General Fatigue (13.40±3.61), Physical Fatigue (13.23±3.67) and Reduced Activity (11.33±4.16). Body mass index correlated with higher fatigue scores. Phosphodiesterase inhibitor plus endothelin receptor antagonist combination negatively predicted General Fatigue, Physical Fatigue, Reduced Motivation and Reduced Activity. Triple therapy was a significant predictor of General Fatigue, Physical Fatigue and Reduced Activity. There were no significant predictors of Mental Fatigue.Multidimensional fatigue is common and severe in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Phosphodiesterase inhibitor plus endothelin receptor antagonist combination resulted in lower scores in most fatigue dimensions. Comprehensive assessment of fatigue should be considered in the clinical care of patients with pulmonary hypertension and clinical research to develop formal interventions that target this disabling symptom.

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P ulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive and ultimately fatal disease that presents as an elevated blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries. PH evolves as a comorbidity of other diseases or conditions, such as connective tissue diseases, lung diseases, liver disease, pregnancy, HIV infection, left heart failure, and the usage of the diet medication Fen-Phen, a combination of the 2 drugs fenfluramine (Pondimin) and phentermine (Lonamin). Although triggered by other diseases or conditions, the specific etiology of PH is not known. PH and comorbidity conditions affect a diverse segment of the population.The demographic profile of adult PH patients includes men and women of all ages, racial, and ethnic groups. Between 2000 and 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 807,000 adults were hospitalized with PH. Of these adults, 61% were women and 66% were 65 or older. 1 During the time period of 1980-2002, the number of PH deaths increased from 10,922 to 15,668, respectively; however, the greatest increase was observed only among women. 1 Among all racial populations, the number of adult PH deaths has increased mostly among the African American population. 1 Death rates are higher among the elderly, especially men 85 or older, women 65 or older, whites 75 or older, and African Americans 65 or older. 1 Regardless of gender, age, or race, PH patients require continuous evaluation and management by an interdisciplinary team to alter disease progression and the resultant impact on multiple organ systems.PH affects both the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems, with a potential negative impact on quality of life. PH patients have many acute and chronic health care needs that require meticulous evaluation, management, and care coordination. The nurse practitioner (NP) collaborates within an interdisciplinary team to effectively ABSTRACTThe prevalence of adult pulmonary hypertension (PH) in the United States has escalated in all races, gender, and ethnic populations. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are encountering adults with PH with increasing frequency. Through increased knowledge of the pathophysiological changes, diagnostic measures, and treatments for adults with PH, NPs collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to manage and improve client outcomes and quality of life.

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