BACKGROUND: Limited empirical evidence is available regarding the effect of technology-assisted cardiac rehabilitation (TACR) among coronary heart disease (CHD) patients with central obesity. AIM: To determine the effects of 12-week TACR on health outcomes of patients with CHD. DESIGN: Two-arm randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Cardiovascular department of a regional hospital. POPULATION: Coronary heart disease patients with central obesity. METHODS: The study randomized 78 hospitalized CHD patients to receive either the 12-week TACR intervention or usual care. Guided by social cognitive theory, the intervention began with an in-person assessment and orientation session to assess and identify individual risks and familiarize with the e-platform/device before discharge. After discharge, patients were encouraged to visit the interactive CR website for knowledge and skills acquisition, data uploading, use the pedometer for daily step tracking, and interact with peers and professionals via social media for problem-solving and mutual support. Data were collected at baseline (T0), six-week (T1), and 12-week (T2). RESULTS: Participants in the intervention group showed significant improvement in daily steps at six weeks but not 12 weeks (T1: β=2713.48, P=0.03; T2:β=2450.70, P=0.08), weekly sitting minutes (T1: β=-665.17, P=0.002; T2: β=-722.29, P=0.02), and total (vigorous, moderate, and walking) exercise at 12-week (β=-2445.99, P=0.008). Improvement in health-promoting lifestyle profile (T1: β=24.9, P<0.001; T2: β=15.50, P<0.001), smoking cessation (T2: β=-2.28, P<0.04), self-efficacy (T2: β=0.63, P=0.02), body mass index (T1:β =-0.97, P=0.03; T2: β=-0.73, P=0.04) and waist circumferences (T1: β =-1.97, P=0.003; T2: β =-3.14, P=0.002) were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated the effectiveness of the TACR intervention in improving healthy behaviors and anthropometric parameters for CHD patients with central obesity. Individual assessment, collaborative action planning, and ongoing obesity management support should be highlighted in TACR programs for CHD patients. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: Central obesity should be assessed and highlighted in TACR intervention as an independent risk factor that requires corresponding behavior change and body fat management.
BACKGROUND: There was a substantial documented call for healthcare professionals to provide compassionate care during the COVID-19 pandemic and significant criticism voiced when it was lacking. This study aimed to explore perspectives on compassionate care among healthcare professionals providing care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focuses on healthcare professionals who participated in a wide range of COVID-19 measures, including testing, quarantine, diagnosis, and care provision (patients with COVID-19 or patients with other illnesses and comorbid with COVID-19). METHODS: A qualitative design with an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was used. Twenty frontline healthcare professionals (15 nurses and five physicians) who had worked in COVID-19 facilities in China were interviewed individually. RESULTS: Participants stated that a commitment to 'offering oneself' and 'balancing the advantages/disadvantages' in providing care during the pandemic were key to alleviate population-level suffering. On a personal level, they described a desire for obtaining 'mutual support' and improving 'professional competencies' to safeguard their physical and mental well-being. Two professional competencies were notable: coping with grief and implementing infection control across the organization. Additionally, they emphasized the importance of receiving support from the health care organization, the public, and leaders in creating an 'environment conducive to fostering compassionate care.' CONCLUSION: Healthcare professionals recognized the centrality of compassionate care during the pandemic which entailed a commitment to offering themselves, the balancing of advantages and disadvantages in order to find the best solution, as well as the need to safeguard themselves using professional competencies. Such findings can enrich the contemporary understanding of compassion, including when it is lacking. Support from the healthcare organization, the public, and leadership were crucial in fostering compassionate care in healthcare professionals during the pandemic and in moving the field forward in the future.
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
BACKGROUND: eHealth was widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Much attention was given to the technical aspects of eHealth, such as infrastructure and cost, while the soft skill of compassion remained underexplored. The wide belief in compassionate care is more compatible with in-person interactions but difficult to deliver via e-platforms where personal and environmental clues were lacking urges studying this topic. PURPOSE: to explore the experience of delivering compassionate care via an eHealth platform among healthcare professionals working to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A qualitative study design with an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach was used. Twenty healthcare professionals (fifteen nurses and five physicians) who provided care using technology platforms, such as telephone hotlines, mobile apps, and social media, were interviewed individually. ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Permission to conduct the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board. RESULTS: Participants stated that "eHealth enabled compassionate care during the pandemic" by ensuring patient care availability and accessibility. They shared experiences of "communicating compassionate care via eHealth" with suggestions of addressing patients' needs with empathy, adopting a structured protocol to guide eHealth communication, and using more advanced visual-media methods to promote human-to-human interaction. They recommended "setting realistic mutual expectations" considering the limitations of eHealth in handling complex health situations and staffing shortages. Participants considered "low eHealth literacy hinders compassion." Additionally, they recommended the need for "institutional/system-level support to foster compassionate care." CONCLUSION: Participants recognized the importance of integrating compassion into eHealth services. Promotion of compassionate care requires standardization of eHealth services with institutional and system-level support. This also includes preparing adequate staffing who can communicate compassionate care via eHealth, set realistic expectation, and adjust communication to eHealth literacy level while meeting the needs of their patients.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- empatie * MeSH
- kvalitativní výzkum * MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- telemedicína * etika MeSH
- zdravotnický personál psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
