Kim J. Cox

The Crisis of Stroke: Experiences of Patients and Their Family Caregivers

Abstract Purpose: Approximately 4.8 million stroke survivors are living in the community with some level of disability requiring the assistance of family caregivers. Stroke family caregivers are often unprepared for the demands required of them. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the needs of stroke patients and their family caregivers as they transitioned through the stroke care continuum from acute care to inpatient rehabilitation to home. Methods: Thirty-eight participants, 19 recovering stroke patients (11 male, 8 female), 15 primary family caregivers (14 spouses, 1 mother), and 4 adult children were interviewed during their stay at a rehabilitation facility and within 6 months of discharge. Interview questions were loosely structured and focused on the stroke experience and how patients and caregivers were managing postdischarge. Data were analyzed using dimensional and comparative analysis. Results: Findings were organized in a conceptual framework illustrating the trajectory of the crisis of stroke. Stroke survivors and their caregivers faced enormous challenges as they moved through 3 phases of the trajectory: the stroke crisis, expectations for recovery, and the crisis of discharge. Findings from this study suggest that as caregivers move through the phases of the trajectory, they do not have a good understanding of the role to which they are committing, and they are often underprepared to take on even the basic tasks to meet the patients’ needs on discharge. Conclusion: Stroke survivors and their caregivers do not have adequate time to deal with the shock and crisis of the stroke event, let al.one the crisis of discharge and all of the new responsibilities with which they must deal.

A comprehensive assessment of family caregivers of stroke survivors during inpatient rehabilitation

Abstract Purpose: Stroke caregivers have been identified as a group at high risk for poor outcomes as a result of the suddenness of stroke and a potentially high level of care needed due to significant functional limitations of the patient. However, there is little research on the assessment of family members who will assume the caregiving role prior to patient discharge from rehabilitation. The purpose of this article is to delineate critical assessment domains identified by a subset of spousal stroke caregivers. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted pre- and post-discharge from rehabilitation as part of a larger study that focused on identifying caregiver and stroke survivor needs as they transitioned home from inpatient rehabilitation. For this study, two semi-structured interviews with 14 spousal caregivers were analyzed using grounded theory methods. Results: Long-term stroke survivor outcomes were dependent upon the commitment, capacity and preparedness of the family caregiver. Twelve domains of assessment were identified and presented. Conclusions: A comprehensive, systematic caregiver assessment to understand the caregiver’s concerns about stroke should be conducted during rehabilitation to help the team to develop a plan to address unmet needs and better prepare family caregivers to take on the caregiving role. Implications for Rehabilitation Stroke is a sudden event that often leaves stroke survivors and their families in crisis. The needs of stroke family caregivers are not often systematically assessed as part of inpatient rehabilitation. Long-term stroke survivor outcomes are dependent upon the commitment, capacity and preparedness of the family caregiver. Stroke caregiver assessment should include the commitment, capacity and preparedness to provide care, and the overall impact of stroke in order to develop discharge plans that will adequately address the needs of the stroke survivor/caregiver dyad.

Outcomes of planned home births attended by certified nurse-midwives in southeastern Pennsylvania, 1983-2008.

INTRODUCTION In this study, we examined the perinatal outcomes of planned home births over a 25-year period (1983-2008) in a group of primarily Amish women (98%) attended by certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) in southeastern Pennsylvania. METHODS This was a retrospective, descriptive analysis of data (N = 1836 births) from several CNM practices. Data were abstracted for 25 items, including demographics, labor, and birth. Initially, 2 investigators abstracted 15 records to compare assessments and standardize definitions. Charts were then divided and abstracted individually by one investigator. Several relationships were examined in 2 by 2 tables using the chi-square procedure for the difference in proportions. Maternal and newborn transfers to the hospital were included in the analysis. RESULTS Of the women who planned home birth for 1836 pregnancies, 1733 of the births occurred at home. Although more than one-third of the women were of high parity (gravida 5-13), rates of postpartum hemorrhage were low (n = 96, 5.5%). There were no maternal deaths. Nearly half of the maternal transfers to the hospital (n = 103, 5.6%) were for ruptured membranes without labor (n = 25, 1.4%) and/or failure to progress (n = 23, 1.3%). The neonatal hospital admission rate also was low (n = 13, 0.75%). Of the 7 (0.4%) early neonatal deaths, all were attributed to lethal congenital anomalies that are common to this population. DISCUSSION This study is the first to describe the outcomes of planned home births in a primarily Amish population cared for by CNMs. It also adds to the literature on planned home births in the United States and supports the findings from previous studies that women who have home births attended by CNMs have safety profiles equal to or better than profiles of women who had hospital births in similar populations.

Midwifery and Health Disparities: Theories and Intersections

In the past decade, the reduction of health disparities has become an important policy agenda in the United States. Clinicians in practice, however, may be unfamiliar with the prevailing causal theories and uncertain about what they can do to help to reduce inequalities in health. The purpose of this article is to provide womens health care clinicians with an overview of the definitions, measurement issues, and theories that fall under the rubric of health disparities. The intersecting roles of genetics, race/ethnicity, environment, and gender are discussed. The article also provides practical suggestions for interventions and health policy change that can be implemented by clinicians in practice.

Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy

&NA; Opioid use disorder (OUD) in pregnancy has increased significantly in the past 10 years. Women with OUD may often be undertreated or untreated because of limited accessibility to treatment, particularly in rural areas. Because detoxification is not recommended during pregnancy due to the potential for adverse outcomes in the fetus and a high risk of relapse for the woman, more primary care providers need to be well versed in opioid‐assisted therapy. In addition, recent changes in Food and Drug Administration regulations now allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants with specialized training to provide buprenorphine treatment for pregnant women with OUD in primary care settings. The purpose of this article is to provide information and guidance for clinicians working with and treating this population.

The American College of Nurse-Midwives Clarity in Collaboration Project: Describing Midwifery Care in Interprofessional Collaborative Care Models

&NA; In 2014, the American College of Nurse‐Midwives (ACNM) launched a project called Clarity in Collaboration to develop data definitions related to midwifery and maternity care delivery processes. These definitions are needed to ensure midwifery care delivered in collaborative care models is accurately and consistently captured in clinical documentation systems, data registries, and systems being developed as part of health care restructuring and payment reform. The Clarity in Collaboration project builds on the efforts of the Womens Health Registry Alliance (WHRA), which was recently established by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Clarity in Collaboration mirrored the process used by ReVITALize, WHRAs first maternity data standardization project, which focused on establishing standardized clinical data definitions for obstetrics. The ACNM Clarity in Collaboration project brought together maternity and midwifery care experts to complete a year‐long consensus process, including a period of public comment, resulting in development of 20 concept definitions. These definitions can be used to describe midwifery care within the context of collaborative care models. This article provides a summary of the ACNM Clarity in Collaboration process with discussion of implications for maternity data collection.

Preventing primary cesarean births: midwifery care.

The incidence of cesarean birth in the United States is alarmingly high and cesareans are associated with added morbidities for women and newborns. Thus strategies to prevent cesarean particularly for low-risk, nulliparous women at term with a singleton fetus are needed. This article addresses evidence-based practices that may be used during intrapartum to avoid primary cesarean, including patience with progress in labor, intermittent auscultation, continuous labor support, upright positions, and free mobility. Second-stage labor practices, such delayed pushing and manual rotation of the fetus, are also reviewed. This package of midwifery-style care practices can potentially lower primary cesarean rates.

Vaginal birth after caesarean at home in England: an opportunity for shared decision-making

Commentary on: Rowe R, Li Y, Knight M, et al. Maternal and perinatal outcomes in women planning vaginal birth after caesarean (VBAC) at home in England: secondary analysis of the Birthplace national prospective cohort study. BJOG 2016;123:1123–32.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3] Although current guidelines suggest that women with a previous caesarean plan a VBAC in an obstetric unit (OU), a small proportion of women plan a VBAC at home with a midwife. Few studies to date have reported outcomes for women … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DBJOG%26rft.volume%253D123%26rft.spage%253D1123%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1111%252F1471-0528.13546%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F26213223%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.1111/1471-0528.13546&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=26213223&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febnurs%2F19%2F4%2F115.atom