Western journal of nursing research
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In the absence of pain management outcome reports representing mainland China, the purposes of this study were to describe the outcome of postoperative pain management and the relationship between patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes in an indigenous Chinese population. From a sample of 388 second-day-postoperative inpatients, 304 (78%) reported pain in the past 24 hours and were enrolled in the study. Mean ratings for pain were moderate to severe. ⋯ As measured by the Pain Management Index, 60.2% of patients were inadequately treated for pain, yet patients reported high satisfaction with pain management. Patient satisfaction, however, was inversely and significantly correlated with pain intensity. Study results indicate a need for standardized policies and guidelines about pain management and education among providers and for patients and families to overcome the suboptimal pain outcomes among this Chinese population.
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Fifty caregivers and 41 heart failure patients participated in a study examining the association of caregiver characteristics and the caregiving environment on caregiver burden. Using a cross-sectional design, caregivers were interviewed face-to-face using a caregiver characteristic/demographic tool designed for this study, the Centers for Epidemiological Studies Short Depression Scale, the Caregiver Reaction Assessment questionnaire, and the New York Heart Association Functional Classification Guide to obtain the caregiver's perception of patient disease severity. ⋯ Fifty-one percent of the variance in caregiver burden was accounted for by the variables caregiver advanced age, higher caregiver hours, more caregiver physical health problems, higher levels of caregiver depressive symptoms, and more patient comorbidities. This article concludes with implications for nursing practice and future research.