Nursing & health sciences
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Nursing & health sciences · Jun 2011
Comparative StudyCorrelation between a self-administered walk test and a standardised Six Minute Walk Test in adults.
This study was undertaken to assess the correlation between a self-administered, adapted Six Minute Walk Test (the Home-Heart-Walk) and the standard Six Minute Walk Test based on the American Thoracic Society guideline. A correlational study was conducted at a university campus in Sydney, Australia. Thirteen healthy volunteers underwent the Home-Heart-Walk and the standard Six Minute Walk Test on a single occasion. ⋯ The correlation between the Home-Heart-Walk and the Six Minute Walk Test distance was 0.81. The Home-Heart-Walk distance was highly correlated to the standard Six Minute Walk Test distance in this study. This relationship provides confidence for further research in populations to facilitate monitoring and evaluation.
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Nursing & health sciences · Jun 2011
Realistic evaluation of an emergency department-based mental health nurse practitioner outpatient service in Australia.
Evaluation of new models of care requires consideration of the complexity inherent within health care programs and their sensitivity to local contextual factors as well as broader community, social and political influences. Evaluation frameworks that are flexible and responsive while maintaining research rigor are therefore required. Realistic evaluation was adopted as the methodology for the implementation and evaluation of an emergency department-based mental health nurse practitioner outpatient service in Sydney, Australia. ⋯ A summary of quantitative and qualitative findings from the mixed-methods evaluation is presented, which is transformed into a set of overarching statements or "middle range theories". Middle range theory statements seek to explain the success of a program and provide transferable lessons for practitioners wishing to implement similar programs elsewhere. For example, the research team consider that early consultation with key local stakeholders and emergency department ownership of the project was pivotal to the implementation process.