Predicting long-term survival after cardioverter-defibrillator implantation for primary prevention: A population based study.

Background: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with left ventricular dysfunction. While short-term mortality benefit of ICD insertion has been established in landmark randomized controlled trials, little is known about the long-term outcomes of patients with ICDs in clinical practice. In this paper, we describe the long-term survival of patients following ICD implantation for primary prevention in clinical practice and determine the factors which help predict survival after ICD implant.

The Impact of Primary Care Practice Models on Indicators of Unplanned Health Care Utilization for Ontario Adults Newly Diagnosed With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent chronic disease. Most of the care for this population occurs within the primary care setting; however, the extent to which different primary care practice models influence the outcomes of patients with COPD remains unclear.

Objective: The study aimed to compare and analyze the influence of different primary care practice models on indicators of unplanned health care utilization among newly diagnosed COPD patients in Ontario.

Identifying the effect of inherited bleeding disorders on the development of postpartum hemorrhage: a population-based, retrospective cohort study.

Background: Women with inherited bleeding disorders (IBDs) are at an increased risk of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). However, the impact of other maternal predelivery risk factors, including anemia, on the association between IBD and maternal bleeding remains poorly understood. Additionally, studies examining potential pathways linking IBD and PPH are limited.

Investigating the relationship between melatonin patterns and methylation in circadian genes among day shift and night shift workers.

Objectives: Mechanisms underlying the carcinogenicity of night shift work remain uncertain. One compelling yet understudied cancer mechanism may involve altered DNA methylation in circadian genes due to melatonin secretion patterns. The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between melatonin secretion patterns and circadian gene methylation among day and night shift workers.

The Associations of Shift Work, Sleep Quality, and Incidence of Hypertension in Ontario Adults: A Population-Based Study.

Background: Relatively few population-based studies have explored the relationship and potential mechanisms between exposure to shift work and hypertension. The study objectives for this study were to determine 1) if history of shift work was associated with increased rates of hypertension among working adults, and 2) if sleep quality mediated this relationship.

Methods: We conducted a population-based cohort study using data from Ontario respondents (aged 35-69 y) in the 2000-2001 Canadian Community Health Survey, which was linked to administrative health data housed at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.

Building Research Capacity in Nursing Academia in 2020: Is the Road Less Perilous?

Background: Building research capacity in nursing academic units continues to be a challenge. There are a number of external contextual factors and internal factors that influence individual faculty as well as the collective to engage successfully in research.

Purpose: The overall aim of this opinion article is to provide an overview of the current external and internal, processes and structures, relevant to capacity of nursing faculty to engage in research.

A population-based study of prescribing trends in a potentially vulnerable paediatric population from 1999 to 2012.

Objectives: There is a limited understanding of paediatric medication prescribing trends and patterns, thus poorly positioning decision-makers to identify quality and safety concerns related to medication use. The objective of this study was to determine overall medication prescribing trends and patterns among children receiving Ontario Drug Benefits over a thirteen-year period in the province of Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Administrative health databases housed within the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), Ontario, Canada, were used to identify outpatient prescriptions dispensed from 1999 to 2012 through a publicly funded programme to children ≤18 years of age.

Exploring the utility of the Nursing Role Effectiveness Model in evaluating nursing contributions in primary health care: A scoping review.

Aims: To inform a discussion for the applicability of using the Nursing Role Effectiveness Model (NREM) in the primary health care setting through a synthesis of the literature that has used the model in all health care sectors.

Design: Scoping Review.

Methods: Articles were considered for inclusion if they discussed any aspect of the NREM in health care research that presented information related to any nursing regulatory designation, such as nurse practitioner (NP), registered nurse (RN), licensed/registered practical nurse (LPN/RPN) and considered both quantitative and qualitative study designs, including expert opinions and reports.

A population profile of older adults with prescription encounters with nurse practitioners and family physicians in Ontario: a descriptive retrospective cohort study.

Background: Compared with patients in family physician practices, there is a poor understanding at a population level of patients in nurse practitioner practices. The study aim was to use Ontario administrative databases to identify the sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities of patients aged 65 years and older who were prescribed medications by nurse practitioners and family physicians between 2000 and 2015.

Methods: This population-based descriptive retrospective cohort study included patients 65 years of age and older with Ontario Health Insurance Plan eligibility and at least 1 prescription encounter with a nurse practitioner or family physician during the study period.

Characteristics of Nurse Practitioner Practice in Family Health Teams in Ontario, Canada.

Nurse practitioners (NPs) in Ontario work in a number of settings, including physician-led, interprofessional Family Health Teams (FHTs). However, many aspects of NP practice within the FHTs are unknown. Our study aimed to describe the characteristics of NP practice in FHTs and the relationships between NPs and physicians within this model.

Trends in nurse practitioners' prescribing to older adults in Ontario, 2000-2010: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Nurse prescribing is a practice that has evolved and will continue to evolve in response to emerging trends, particularly in primary care. The goal of this study was to describe the trends and patterns in medication prescription to adults 65 years of age or older in Ontario by nurse practitioners over a 10-year period.

Methods: We conducted a population-based descriptive retrospective cohort study.

Identification, summary and comparison of tools used to measure organizational attributes associated with chronic disease management within primary care settings.

Rationale, Aims And Objectives: Given the increasing emphasis being placed on managing patients with chronic diseases within primary care, there is a need to better understand which primary care organizational attributes affect the quality of care that patients with chronic diseases receive. This study aimed to identify, summarize and compare data collection tools that describe and measure organizational attributes used within the primary care setting worldwide.

Methods: Systematic search and review methodology consisting of a comprehensive and exhaustive search that is based on a broad question to identify the best available evidence was employed.

Gender differences in the influence of social support on one-year changes in functional status in older patients with heart failure.

The purpose of this study was to determine the combined effects of gender and levels of social support on 1-year functional health outcomes in older persons diagnosed with heart failure (HF). Persons ≥ 65 years of age with an acute HF exacerbation (164 females; 271 males) were enrolled and followed for a year. Participants completed baseline and 12-month questionnaires containing clinical and demographic descriptive information and validated self-report measures of: (1) physical functioning (Medical Outcome Study [MOS] SF12 and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire [KCCQ]) and (2) social support (MOS- Social Support Survey).

The epidemiology of chronic pain in Canadian men and women between 1994 and 2007: longitudinal results of the National Population Health Survey.

Background: The epidemiology of chronic pain is poorly understood due to a paucity of longitudinal studies limiting the ability to develop prevention strategies for a condition resistant to many current therapies.

Objectives: To identify the incidence of and sociodemographic risk factors for chronic pain in Canadian women and men over a 12-year period.

Methods: Using data from the National Population Health Survey, individuals who developed chronic pain, defined as the presence of "usual pain" were identified.

A cross-sectional study of breast cancer biomarkers among shift working nurses.

Objectives In 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified long-term shift work as a probable carcinogen, with the strongest evidence for breast cancer. One proposed mechanism involves night-time light exposure and decreases in melatonin, a circadian rhythmic hormone. It is hypothesised that melatonin influences patterns of sex hormone production that in turn influence breast cancer risk.

Back pain of working pregnant women: identification of associated occupational factors.

The objective of this study was to identify major occupational factors that were significantly correlated with back pain in pregnant women working in higher education, health care and service areas. A total of 73 working pregnant women were surveyed using questionnaires specifically designed for evaluating correlations between occupational factors and severity of back pain; 37 women were interviewed at both 20 and 34 weeks of pregnancy, 17 at 20 weeks only, and 19 were interviewed at 34 weeks only. "Rest breaks allowed" and "job autonomy" were negatively correlated with severity of back pain at 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Influences of body mass index and waist circumference on physical function in older persons with heart failure.

Background: In older persons with heart failure (HF), body composition may influence physical function and treatment effectiveness. There is a lack of research concerning the associations between waist circumference (WC) or body mass index (BMI) and physical function in this population.

Objective: To determine whether BMI and WC are associated with physical function in older men and women with HF.

Self-measured waist circumference in older patients with heart failure: a study of validity and reliability using a MyoTape.

Purpose: Evidence supports the use of waist circumference (WC) as an important clinical measure of body composition and obesity-related health risk. Self-monitoring of WC may be problematic for older persons, especially for those with a chronic illness such as heart failure (HF). No studies to date have measured the accuracy of self-measured WC in older persons with HF.

Fatigue and physical activity in older adults with cancer: a systematic review of the literature.

Cancer is a disease predominantly affecting older adults. Cancer fatigue is the most common and often most distressing symptom associated with cancer and its treatment, often persisting months to years after treatment. Untreated cancer fatigue may lead to significant reductions in physical activity, physical functioning, and quality of life and may interfere with patients' adherence to cancer treatment.

Understanding the supportive care needs of parents of children with cancer: an approach to local needs assessment.

The objective of this study was to conduct an assessment of supportive care needs from the perspective of parents of children diagnosed with cancer within an urban-rural region in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Guided by a conceptual framework for supportive care, the exploratory, mixed-method study used a standard needs survey and semistructured interviews. Fifteen parents completed (75% response rate) the survey, and 3 parents participated as key informants in the follow-up interview.

Measurement of the caregiving experience in caregivers of persons living with heart failure: a review of current instruments.

Background: Current evidence suggests that caring for someone with heart failure (HF) often imposes physical and emotional demands on primary caregivers that may lead to emotional distress or impaired quality of life. The purpose of this literature review was to provide a comprehensive description of the measurement tools used for assessing the subjective experience of primary caregivers for persons living with HF.

Methods: CINHAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, the Cochrane Collaboration, and PubMed databases (1985 to June 2006) were searched for studies that directly measured the caregiving experience.

The symptom of pain in individuals recently hospitalized for heart failure.

Unlabelled: The symptom of pain is not typically associated with heart failure. Yet, emerging evidence suggests that pain is an important issue for this population.

Objectives: (1) To determine whether pain was reported by a cohort of individuals with heart failure at the time of discharge from hospital, at 2 and 6 weeks postdischarge; (2) To examine the profile of individuals who reported pain at discharge and to determine if there were differences from individuals who did not report pain; (3) To determine whether there was a difference in health-related quality of life between reported pain and no pain groups.