| 1. |
- Ekman, Inger, 1952, et al.
(författare)
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Can treatment with ACE-inhibitors in elderly patients with moderate to severe heart failure be improved by a nurse-monitored structured care program?
- 2003
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Ingår i: Heart & Lung. - 0147-9563. ; 32:1, s. 3-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Can treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in elderly patients with moderate to severe chronic heart failure be improved by a nurse-monitored structured care program? A randomized controlled trial. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether a nurse-monitored structured care program resulted in a more effective use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in elderly patients compared with standard care in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: Hospitalized patients were screened to identify individuals with CHF, age more than 65 years, New York Heart Association classification III to IV, and no contraindications to ACE inhibitor treatment. One hundred forty-five patients were randomized to a nurse-monitored structured care program that included uptitration of enalapril to a target dose of 10 mg twice a day or to standard care. Six-month follow-up data were collected. RESULTS: The mean age of the randomized patients was 81 years. Although the proportion of patients treated with an ACE inhibitor did not differ between structured care (70%) and standard care (64%), the number of patients with the target ACE inhibitor dose was significantly higher in the structured care group (26% versus 11% in the standard care group; P <.018). Treatment had to be discontinued in 26% of the patients because of adverse effects. CONCLUSION: The patients in this study were older than in previous intervention studies and had considerable comorbidity and reduced tolerance for ACE inhibitors. ACE inhibitor treatment was underused but improved with the structured care program, although achieved treatment levels were below those in the large intervention trials in patients with CHF.
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| 2. |
- Björk, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
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Predicting participation in the population-based Swedish cardiopulmonary bio-image study (SCAPIS) using register data
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 45, s. 45-49
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: To illustrate the importance of access to register data on determinants and predictors of study participation to assess validity of population-based studies. In the present investigation, we use data on sociodemographic conditions and disease history among individuals invited to the Swedish cardiopulmonary bio-image study (SCAPIS) in order to establish a model that predicts study participation. Methods: The pilot study of SCAPIS was conducted within the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2012, with 2243 invited individuals (50% participation rate). An anonymous data set for the total target population (n = 24,502) was made available by register authorities (Statistics Sweden and the National Board of Health and Welfare) and included indicators of invitation to and participation in SCAPIS along with register data on residential area, sociodemographic variables, and disease history. Propensity scores for participation were estimated using logistic regression. Results: Residential area, country of birth, civil status, education, occupational status, and disposable income were all associated with participation in multivariable models. Adding data on disease history only increased overall classification ability marginally. The associations with disease history were diverse with some disease groups negatively associated with participation whereas some others tended to increase participation. Conclusions: The present investigation stresses the importance of a careful consideration of selection effects in population-based studies. Access to detailed register data also for non-participants can in the statistical analysis be used to control for selection bias and enhance generalizability, thereby making the results more relevant for policy decisions.
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| 3. |
- Ekman, Inger, 1952, et al.
(författare)
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Feasibility of a nurse-monitored, outpatient-care programme for elderly patients with moderate-to-severe, chronic heart failure
- 1998
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Ingår i: European Heart Journal. - London, United Kingdom : W. B. Saunders Co. Ltd.. - 0195-668X .- 1522-9645. ; 19:8, s. 1254-60
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: To evaluate the feasibility of a nurse-monitored, outpatient-care program for elderly patients previously hospitalized with chronic heart failure.Methods and results: Patients with chronic heart failure hospitalized in the medical wards were screened to find those eligible for a randomized study to compare the effect of a nurse-monitored, outpatient-care programme aiming at symptom management, with conventional care. The inclusion criteria were patients classified in New York Heart Association classes III-IV, age 65 years, and eligibility for an outpatient follow-up programme. The total in-hospital population of patients discharged with a heart-failure diagnosis was surveyed. Eighty-nine per cent of all the hospitalized patients (n=1541) were 65 years old. Of these, 69% (n=1058) were treated in the medical wards which were screened. The study criteria were met by 158 patients (15%). No visits to the nurse occurred in 23 cases among the 79 patients randomized to the structured-care group (29%), mainly on account of death or fatigue. The numbers of hospitalizations and hospital days did not differ between the structured-care and the usual-care groups.Conclusions: Given the selection criteria and the outline of the interventions, the outpatient, nurse-monitored, symptom-management programme was not feasible for the majority of these elderly patients with moderate-to-severe, chronic heart failure, mainly because of the small proportion of eligible patients and the high drop-out rate. Management of these patients would have to be more adjusted to their home situation.
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| 4. |
- Ekman, Inger, 1952, et al.
(författare)
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Health-related quality of life and sense of coherence among elderly patients with severe chronic heart failure in comparison with healthy controls
- 2002
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Ingår i: Heart & Lung. - 0147-9563. ; 31:2, s. 94-101
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To describe health-related quality of life (QoL) and sense of coherence (SOC) in a group of elderly people with moderate to severe chronic heart failure and to make comparisons with a healthy sex- and age-matched control group. METHODS: Patients (n = 94), with a mean age of 81 years, hospitalized for chronic heart failure with New York Heart Association functional classification III to IV were age- and sex-matched to a healthy control group. The instruments used were the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and SOC. RESULTS: The patients had lower levels of health-related QoL scores (SF-36) but high and similar scores of SOC compared with the controls. There were, however, significant positive correlations between the SOC scores and the emotional dimensions in the SF-36 instrument. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study indicate that old age and severe chronic heart failure were associated with limited functional abilities and impaired health-related QoL but also with internal resources such as SOC.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Ekman, Inger, 1952, et al.
(författare)
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The clinical implications of cognitive impairment in elderly patients
- 2001
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Ingår i: Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. - 0889-4655. ; 16:1, s. 47-55
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The purpose of this study was to examine whether cognitive dysfunction was associated with poor participation in an outpatient treatment program for patients with chronic heart failure and if it was related to specific patient characteristics. Cognitive function was measured with the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Twenty-three of 78 (29%) patients randomized to structured care did not participate in this program and nonparticipation during 6-month follow-up was associated with an MMSE score below the median and a low calculated creatinine clearance (CrCl) (R2=0.15, p=0.0025) at entry. In the entire group long duration of heart failure and low blood hemoglobin concentration were independently associated with an MMSE score below the median at entry (R2=0.14, p < 0.0001). Among elderly patients hospitalized with moderate-severe chronic heart failure, judged to be eligible for a nurse-directed outpatient program after discharge, a low MMSE score predicted nonparticipation in such a program. Cognitive dysfunction, which was related to the duration of heart failure, should be evaluated in the treatment of patients with chronic heart failure.
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