Publications (2)2.46 Total impact
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Article: Emotional experiences of caregivers of patients with a ventricular assist device.
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ABSTRACT: Little is known about the stresses experienced by caregivers of patients discharged home with a ventricular assist device. To describe the lived experience of caregivers of patients who were discharged home with a ventricular assist device. The study used a phenomenological framework to conduct semistructured interviews guided by 2 psychologists using a focus group setting. Interviews of 13 caregivers of 9 patients discharged to home with a ventricular assist device between March 2004 and June 2007 were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. Four themes emerged during the interviews: anxiety, initially exhibited as profound shock; loss of a loved one, of their lives, of freedom and independence; burden, both the physical burden and the burden of responsibility; and finally coping through faith, acceptance, empathy, and social support. Caregivers of patients discharged home with a ventricular assist device experienced significant pressures that changed over the duration of support with the ventricular assist device. Caregivers described their coping mechanisms in dealing with shock, loss, and burden. Understanding the fluctuating needs of caregivers will enable teams to provide interventions based on the situation. Future care guidelines should address the significant stresses placed on caregivers of recipients of a ventricular assist device.Progress in transplantation (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) 06/2010; 20(2):142-7. · 1.03 Impact Factor -
Article: Brief screen to identify 5 of the most common forms of psychosocial distress in cardiac patients: validation of the screening tool for psychological distress.
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ABSTRACT: To develop and validate a brief psychosocial screening tool (Screening Tool for Psychological Distress [STOP-D]) for use in the outpatient cardiology setting. Psychosocial factors contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality associated with coronary artery disease. Yet, it is often considered overly burdensome to implement full-scale psychological assessments for every patient. Over 3 months, 194 cardiac patients were consecutively recruited from 3 cardiac clinics: heart transplant (pre and post), cardiac rehabilitation, and adult congenital heart. Subjects filled out a questionnaire that included: (1) demographics, (2) STOP-D, (3) Beck Depression Inventory-II, (4) Beck Anxiety Inventory, (5) State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2, and (6) MOS Social Support Survey. Analyses reveal all STOP-D items are highly correlated with the corresponding measures and have robust receiver operating characteristic curves. Severity scores on STOP-D-depression and STOP-D-anxiety correlate well with established severity cutoff scores on the Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory, respectively. Overall, the STOP-D performs very well when compared with other longer and validated measures. The STOP-D is a 5-item self-report measure, which provides severity scores for: depression, anxiety, stress, anger, and poor social support. The STOP-D is self-administered and takes between 1 and 2 minutes to fill out, gives valid severity scores on 5 key areas of psychological distress (depression, anxiety, stress, anger, and poor social support), requires no scoring, and is free to use.The Journal of cardiovascular nursing 22(6):525-34. · 1.43 Impact Factor
