Heart Failure: A Research Analysis

Research Analysis #1
Significance & Contribution
The article by Britz & Dunn (2010), Self-care and quality of life among patients with Heart failure, has significant implications for practice. Britz & Dunn (2010) clearly express the ominous situation between self-care deficit among heart failure patients and decreased quality of life. They report that heart failure: can be extremely costly -with repeated hospitalizations, claims the lives of many and patients have very poor quality of life. The problem is big and only getting bigger with the ever increasing aging population. In the literature review the authors point out that studies have been previously done to determine how variables impact self-care abilities among patients, but none have been done to specifically identify deficits. The study found that nurse practitioners (NPs) can play a key role in these patients success. The researchers conclude that if self-care deficits are identified and targeted, education that is specific and individualized can be then developed to help these patients regain their lives again.
No specific research questions were defined in this article. One research question that could be posed by the direct rewording of the purpose statement is: In adults with heart failure does the identification and teaching of specific self-care abilities increase the quality of