The impact of nursing assessment on cardiovascular health behaviour: a scoping review

Assessment represents a critical first opportunity for nurses to influence individual changes in health behaviour. As the global prevalence of cardiovascular disorders rises, so does the role of nurses in cardiovascular health promotion. This review applies Pender's Health Promotion Model (HPM) to an evaluation of the current research on the role of nursing assessment as an intervention to impact cardiovascular health.

This scoping review was conducted using the PRISMA-ScR framework for scoping reviews. A search of electronic databases (CINAHL, psychINFO, Medline) resulted in 335 records, which were then screened for eligibility for inclusion using the criteria (a) English language, (b) publication between 2009 and 2019, and (c) nursing intervention studies. A total of ten articles met criteria and are included in this scoping review.

Half (n = 5) of the articles cited a theoretical framework. While none of the articles explicitly used the HPM, all involved measurement of HPM constructs: perceived benefits of action, perceived barriers to action, perceived self-efficacy, interpersonal influences, and situational influences. The focus and methodology of the included articles was heterogeneous. Assessment tools used were self-report surveys, biometric data, qualitative interviews, or a combination of these measures. Results were generally positive and indicated that nursing assessment is effective at altering health promotion behaviour and attitudes.

This scoping review demonstrated that the current body of literature on the impact of nursing assessment on cardiovascular health promotion behaviour is limited but consistent. Future research would benefit from thorough integration of the HPM into research design in order to more fully explain the causative mechanisms underlying behaviour change as a result of nursing assessment.