Nursing research
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One of the main problems in conducting clinical trials is low participation rate due to potential participants' misunderstanding of the rationale for the clinical trial or perceptions of loss of control over treatment decisions. ⋯ Participation rates could be enhanced in future clinical trials by using a visual presentation to explain and describe the study as part of the informed consent process. More research is needed to test alternate methods of obtaining informed consent.
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Western research studies have found that sleep disturbances reduced quality of life and daily functioning of patients with heart failure; however, information about sleep disturbance is lacking in Taiwanese people with heart failure. ⋯ The importance of ongoing screening for sleep disturbances in people with heart failure is highlighted based on the study findings about the prevalence of sleep disturbances among the participants in this study. Healthcare providers must understand the often multifactorial nature of sleep disturbances to achieve a better and more effective management.
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Lack of randomization of nursing intervention in outcome effectiveness studies may lead to imbalanced covariates. Consequently, estimation of nursing intervention effect can be biased as in other observational studies. Propensity score analysis is an effective statistical method to reduce such bias and further derive causal effects in observational studies. ⋯ Propensity score analysis provides an alternative statistical approach to the classical multivariate regression, stratification, and matching techniques for examining the effects of nursing intervention with a large number of confounding covariates in the background. It can be used to derive causal effects of nursing intervention in observational studies under certain circumstances.
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In the absence of an instrument to predict risk of early readmission, examination of the well-validated probability of repeated admission (Pra) for this new purpose is indicated. ⋯ Within this heterogeneous sample, prediction of readmission using the Pra was better than chance. These findings may facilitate development of a better predictive model by combining select Pra variables with other variables associated with early readmission.