Evidence Based Practice Paper

Evidence Based Practice Paper

Abstract

This paper aims to highlight the role of the informal caregivers in the medical management of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Extensive literature review revealed demands of CHF patients and its impact on caregivers. The primary insight of this research is that of the adverse effect on the caregivers, indirectly affecting the health of CHF patients.

Problems

The nursing problem outlined in this study is two folds; the increasing demands of support of CHF patients and the impact on the caregivers in the process.

The importance of addressing this issue corresponds to the awareness that CHF patients have the worst quality of life as compared to other chronic diseases such as cancer. The care giving demands involve compromised physical activity of the patient, their dietary requirements, CHF related depression, disturbed sleep patterns etc. Furthermore, the studies on the effects of these demands show that informal caregivers undergo psychiatric and physical morbidity while providing support to CHF patients. In more extreme cases, research has also shown it be an independent risk of caregivers' mortality.

Despite of such drastic physical and psychological effects on the caregivers of CHF patients, the problem of the management plan for this condition has been neglected.

Methods

The study was a literature search on three databases including, Medline, PsychINFO and Web of Science. The period of the study was 1993-2000, using keywords such as cardiac failure, heart failure, carer, partner, and spouse.

The results chosen were on the basis of the language being English; the nature of the study was research, preferably published in peer-reviewed journals. More specifically, it included a significant portion of study on caregivers, and the ones with a more generalized focus on chronic disease and care were excluded. Reviewing of the reference section of the results was also a part of ...