Cardiovascular disease self-care interventions.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Nursing Research
• Public Health

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading global cause of illness and death.
• Current guidelines emphasize patient self-care, including diet, medication, and symptom monitoring.
• Nurse-led interventions are crucial for managing CVD self-care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize nurse-led CVD self-care interventions.
• To identify limitations in existing nurse-led CVD self-care interventions.
• To propose recommendations for future research in this area.

Main Methods:

• An integrative review of nurse-led CVD self-care intervention studies published between 2000 and 2012.
• Searches conducted across PubMed, MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, and CINAHL databases.
• Inclusion of 34 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-experimental studies, with rigorous data extraction and appraisal by multiple reviewers.

Main Results:

• Interventions varied, often combining strategies, with a focus on male and Caucasian populations.
• Quality of life was the most frequently assessed outcome.
• Intervention effectiveness was inconclusive, and benefits were generally not sustained over time.

Conclusions:

• There is a need for developing and testing tailored and inclusive CVD self-care interventions.
• Future research must prioritize rigorous study designs and consistent outcome measures.
• Improving the long-term effectiveness of CVD self-care interventions requires further investigation.