Tove Aminda Hanssen

Drug-Eluting or Bare-Metal Stents for Coronary Artery Disease

BACKGROUND Limited data are available on the long-term effects of contemporary drug-eluting stents versus contemporary bare-metal stents on rates of death, myocardial infarction, repeat revascularization, and stent thrombosis and on quality of life. METHODS We randomly assigned 9013 patients who had stable or unstable coronary artery disease to undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with the implantation of either contemporary drug-eluting stents or bare-metal stents. In the group receiving drug-eluting stents, 96% of the patients received either everolimus- or zotarolimus-eluting stents. The primary outcome was a composite of death from any cause and nonfatal spontaneous myocardial infarction after a median of 5 years of follow-up. Secondary outcomes included repeat revascularization, stent thrombosis, and quality of life. RESULTS At 6 years, the rates of the primary outcome were 16.6% in the group receiving drug-eluting stents and 17.1% in the group receiving bare-metal stents (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88 to 1.09; P=0.66). There were no significant between-group differences in the components of the primary outcome. The 6-year rates of any repeat revascularization were 16.5% in the group receiving drug-eluting stents and 19.8% in the group receiving bare-metal stents (hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.85; P<0.001); the rates of definite stent thrombosis were 0.8% and 1.2%, respectively (P=0.0498). Quality-of-life measures did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS In patients undergoing PCI, there were no significant differences between those receiving drug-eluting stents and those receiving bare-metal stents in the composite outcome of death from any cause and nonfatal spontaneous myocardial infarction. Rates of repeat revascularization were lower in the group receiving drug-eluting stents. (Funded by the Norwegian Research Council and others; NORSTENT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00811772 .).

Improving outcomes after myocardial infarction: a randomized controlled trial evaluating effects of a telephone follow-up intervention

Background Providing information is an important part of standard care and treatment for acute myocardial infarction inpatients. Evidence exists indicating that acute myocardial infarction patients experience an information gap in the period immediately after discharge from the hospital. The aim of this study was to assess the short-term effects of a nurse-led telephone follow-up intervention to provide information and support to patients with acute myocardial infarction after their discharge from hospital. Design and method A prospective randomized, controlled trial with a 6-month follow-up was conducted. A total of 288 patients were allocated to either an intervention group (n = 156) or a control group (n = 132). The latter received routine post-discharge care. The primary endpoint measured at 3 and 6 months after discharge was the health-related quality of life using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey. Secondary endpoints included smoking and exercise habits. Results In both groups, health-related quality of life improved significantly over time on most subscales. A statistically significant difference in favour of the intervention group was found on the 36-item Short Form Health Survey Physical Health Component Summary Scale (P=0.034) after 6 months. No difference was found between the groups on the Mental Health Component Summary Scale. We found a significant difference with respect to frequency of physical activity in favour of the intervention group after 6 months (P=0.004). More participants in the intervention group than the control group had ceased smoking at the 6-month follow-up (P=0.055). Conclusion A nurse-led systematic telephone follow-up intervention significantly improved the physical dimension of health-related quality of life in patients in the intervention group compared with usual care patients. Participation in this intervention also seemed to promote health behaviour change in patients after acute myocardial infarction.

Anxiety and depression after acute myocardial infarction: an 18-month follow-up study with repeated measures and comparison with a reference population.

Background Recently, there has been substantial improvement in coronary care and a corresponding reduction in mortality after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Some studies suggest that improved prognosis has led to reduced levels of anxiety and depression after AMI, in both the short and long term. The aims of this study were to assess symptoms of anxiety and depression from the acute event to 18 months following AMI, and to compare results with levels in the Norwegian reference population. Design and methods The progress of 288 patients was monitored using self-reports 3, 6, 12 and 18 months after AMI. Anxiety and depression were measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Reference population data were obtained from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study 1995–1997 (the HUNT 2 Study). Results At baseline, 19.7 and 13.6% of AMI patients reported high levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms, respectively. At baseline, AMI patients were more anxious, but not more depressed, when compared with the reference population (P<0.001 and P = 0.092, respectively). After 3–18 months, AMI patients’ levels of anxiety and depression were not higher than levels in the reference population. Anxiety and depression at baseline and after 3 months were the best predictors of anxiety and depression after 18 months, although complications, bed days and lifestyle improvement also significantly predicted depression after 18 months. Conclusion Initially, AMI patients had higher levels of anxiety, but not depressive symptoms. After 3–18 months, these patients were not more anxious or depressed than the Norwegian reference population. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 16:651–659

Does a telephone follow-up intervention for patients discharged with acute myocardial infarction have long-term effects on health-related quality of life? A randomised controlled trial.

AIMS An earlier combined proactive and reactive telephone follow-up intervention for acute myocardial infarction patients after discharge from hospital showed positive effects after six months. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the intervention has long-term effects up to 18 months after discharge. DESIGN A prospective randomised controlled trial with 18 months follow-up. METHOD The trial was conducted with 288 patients allocated to a telephone follow-up intervention group (n = 156) or control group (n = 132). The primary endpoint was health-related quality of life using the SF-36. Secondary endpoints included smoking and exercise habits, return to work and rehospitalisation due to chest pain. RESULTS There were significant improvements over time on most dimensions of health-related quality of life in both the intervention and control group to US norm population levels on most SF-36 dimensions and summary scores. The intervention group showed no overall significant improvement beyond six months in the physical or mental summary scores, but there was a significant effect for those aged 70 or above. Although there was a promising effect for rehospitalisation due to chest pain, no significant differences were found between the groups on the secondary endpoints after six months. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that despite positive short-term effects at six months, the telephone follow-up intervention had no long-term effects on health-related quality of life or secondary endpoints. However, the potential for improvement beyond six months was less than anticipated reflecting a reduced morbidity among acute myocardial infarction patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Telephone follow-up after discharge from hospital is an easy implementable follow-up intervention enabling individualised provision of information and support in a time often experienced as stressful by patients. Our study indicates that six months is an adequate support period. Despite positive results six months after discharge no significant added long-term effects of telephone follow-up, compared to usual care were found in this study.

Introducing quality improvement to pre-qualification nursing students: evaluation of an experiential programme

OBJECTIVE To evaluate a programme introducing quality improvement (QI) in nursing education. SETTINGS Betanien College of Nursing and clinical practices at hospitals in Bergen. SUBJECTS 52 nursing students from a second year class working in 16 groups undertaking hospital based practical studies. INTERVENTION Second year nursing students were assigned to follow a patient during a days work and to record the processes of care from the patients perspective. Data collected included waiting times, patient information, people in contact with the patient, investigations, and procedures performed. Students also identified aspects of practice that could be improved. They then attended a 2 day theoretical introductory course in QI and each group produced flow charts, cause/effect diagrams, and outlines of quality goals using structure, process, and results criteria to describe potential improvements. Each group produced a report of their findings. Main measures-A two-part questionnaire completed by the students before and after the intervention was used to assess the development of their understanding of QI. Evidence that students could apply a range of QI tools and techniques in the specific setting of a hospital ward was assessed from the final reports of their clinical attachments. RESULTS The students had a significantly better knowledge of QI after the introductory course and group work than before it, and most students indicated that they considered the topic highly relevant for their later career. They reported that it was quite useful to observe one patient throughout one shift and, to some extent, they learned something new. Students found the introductory course and working in groups useful, and most thought the programme should be included in the curriculum for other nursing students. They considered it important for nurses in general to have knowledge about QI, indicating a high perceived relevance of the course. All 16 groups delivered reports of their group work which were approved by the tutors. Through the reports, all the groups demonstrated knowledge and ability to apply tools and techniques in their practical studies in a hospital setting. CONCLUSIONS The introduction of a short experience-based programme into the practical studies of second year nursing students enabled them to learn about the concepts, tools, and techniques of continuous QI in a way that should provide them with the skills to undertake it as part of routine practice.

1377: Can telephone follow-up after discharge improve life style factors after a myocardial infarction? A randomized controlled trial

Purpose: Secondary prevention clinics are becoming common, yet many individuals are not implementing nor maintaining the necessary lifestyle changes (EUROSPIRE I and II Group 2001). Research has focused on compliance in general, and only a small number of quantitative studies address the issues specific to dietary modification. This study aimed to explore the decisions patients attending a secondary prevention clinic make regarding their diet after a heart attack. The objectives were to discuss individual experiences of following dietary recommendations, and to explore the appropriateness of advice received.

Cardiac rehabilitation after percutaneous coronary intervention: Results from a nationwide survey:

Aim: The purpose of this study was to estimate the proportion of Norwegian coronary heart disease patients participating in cardiac rehabilitation programmes after percutaneous coronary intervention, and to determine predictors of cardiac rehabilitation participation. Methods: Participants were patients enrolled in the Norwegian Coronary Stent Trial. We assessed cardiac rehabilitation participation in 9013 of these patients who had undergone their first percutaneous coronary intervention during 2008–2011. Of these, 7068 patients (82%) completed a self-administered questionnaire on cardiac rehabilitation participation within three years after their percutaneous coronary intervention. Results: Twenty-eight per cent of the participants reported engaging in cardiac rehabilitation. Participation rate differed among the four regional health authorities in Norway, varying from 20%–31%. Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for an acute coronary syndrome were more likely to participate in cardiac rehabilitation than patients with stable angina (odds ratio 3.2; 95% confidence interval 2.74–3.76). A multivariate statistical model revealed that men had a 28% lower probability (p<0.001) of participating in cardiac rehabilitation, and the odds of attending cardiac rehabilitation decreased with increasing age (p<0.001). Contributors to higher odds of cardiac rehabilitation participation were educational level >12 years (odds ratio 1.50; 95% confidence interval 1.32–1.71) and body mass index>25 (odds ratio 1.19; 95% confidence interval 1.05–1.36). Prior coronary artery bypass graft was associated with lower odds of cardiac rehabilitation participation (odds ratio 0.47; 95% confidence interval 0.32–0.70) Conclusion: The estimated cardiac rehabilitation participation rate among patients undergoing first-time percutaneous coronary intervention is low in Norway. The typical participant is young, overweight, well-educated, and had an acute coronary event. These results varied by geographical region.

Translation and validation of the Norwegian version of the Coronary Revascularisation Outcome Questionnaire

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaires are increasingly used as outcome measures in research and clinical practice to assess treatment effectiveness in coronary heart disease (CHD) alongside traditional outcome measures. The Coronary Revascularisation Outcome Questionnaire (CROQ) is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) to evaluate health outcomes and HRQOL before and after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Aim: To translate the CROQ-PCI from English into Norwegian and test its psychometric properties. Methods: Independent forward and backward translation was done following international guidelines. The CROQ was then pretested with both healthcare professionals and patients before the psychometric properties were field tested in a sample of patients who had undergone PCI. Psychometric testing included an evaluation of: acceptability; tests of scaling assumptions; reliability; content validity; construct validity based on within-scale analyses; and construct validity based on comparisons with external measures. Results: 171 of 258 (66%) invited patients participated. The CROQ was acceptable to patients (low proportion of missing data and good response rate), reliable (good internal consistency and test–retest reliability for all scales), had good content validity (reported by both patients and healthcare professionals) and good construct validity (convergent validity with the SF-12 and Seattle Angina Questionnaire, known groups validity and factor analysis). Conclusion: The Norwegian version of CROQ-PCI is a reliable and valid PROM for assessing HRQOL in CHD patients. Further testing of its responsiveness and ability to detect change is needed before recommending its use in Norwegian clinical practice and research.

The Second Triennial Systematic Literature Review of European Nursing Research: Impact on Patient Outcomes and Implications for Evidence‐Based Practice

BACKGROUND European research in nursing has been criticized as overwhelmingly descriptive, wasteful and with little relevance to clinical practice. This second triennial review follows our previous review of articles published in 2010, to determine whether the situation has changed. OBJECTIVE To identify, appraise, and synthesize reports of European nursing research published during 2013 in the top 20 nursing research journals. METHODS Systematic review with descriptive results synthesis. RESULTS We identified 2,220 reports, of which 254, from 19 European countries, were eligible for analysis; 215 (84.7%) were primary research, 36 (14.2%) secondary research, and three (1.2%) mixed primary and secondary. Forty-eight (18.9%) of studies were experimental: 24 (9.4%) randomized controlled trials, 11 (4.3%) experiments without randomization, and 13 (5.1%) experiments without control group. A total of 106 (41.7%) articles were observational: 85 (33.5%) qualitative research. The majority (158; 62.2%) were from outpatient and secondary care hospital settings. One hundred and sixty-five (65.0%) articles reported nursing intervention studies: 77 (30.3%) independent interventions, 77 (30.3%) interdependent, and 11 (4.3%) dependent. This represents a slight increase in experimental studies compared with our previous review (18.9% vs. 11.7%). The quality of reporting remained very poor. LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION European research in nursing remains overwhelmingly descriptive. We call on nursing researchers globally to raise the level of evidence and, therefore, the quality of care and patient outcomes. We urge them to replicate our study in their regions, diagnose reasons for the lack of appropriate research, identify solutions, and implement a deliberate, targeted, and systematic global effort to increase the number of experimental, high quality, and relevant studies into nursing interventions. We also call on journal editors to mandate an improvement in the standards of research reporting in nursing journals.

Cardiac rehabilitation and symptoms of anxiety and depression after percutaneous coronary intervention

Background Anxiety and depression are related to coronary heart disease, and psychological support is recommended in cardiac rehabilitation. Purpose The aims of this study were: to compare the prevalence of anxiety and depression with respect to cardiac rehabilitation participation among patients who have been treated with percutaneous coronary intervention; to examine prevalence of anxiety and depression among percutaneous coronary intervention patients compared to the general population; and to identify predictors of symptomatic anxiety and depression among percutaneous coronary intervention patients. Methods We included 9013 patients undergoing first-time percutaneous coronary intervention. Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in a representative sample of 775 patients at baseline and after three years of follow-up, and in the entire cohort at three-year follow-up. Results Cardiac rehabilitation participants had more anxiety and depression than cardiac rehabilitation non-participants at baseline, and both groups had a more anxiety than the general population. The levels of anxiety and depression fell significantly during three years of follow-up, but the changes did not differ between cardiac rehabilitation participants and cardiac rehabilitation non-participants. Three years after percutaneous coronary intervention the prevalence of anxiety was 32% (p < 0.001), higher among cardiac rehabilitation participants compared to cardiac rehabilitation non-participants. Female gender and younger age were associated with anxiety, whereas older age, lower levels of education and cardiovascular morbidity were associated with depression. Conclusion The levels of anxiety and depression were prevalent among percutaneous coronary intervention patients and the levels were not affected by cardiac rehabilitation participation. Anxiety is prevalent among female and younger patients, whereas depression is related to older age and cardiovascular co-morbidity.