Nursing Interventions Following Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Developing Nursing Interventions to Enhance Recovery Following Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Determine the benefits of implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients participating in a structured, 8-week educational telephone intervention delivered by expert cardiovascular nurses post-ICD. To determine if individuals participating in a post-hospital telephone nursing intervention would demonstrate (1) increased physical functioning, (2) increased psychological adjustment, (3) improved self-efficacy in managing the challenges of ICD recovery, and (4) lower levels of health care utilization over usual care at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post-ICD implantation.

The goal of the study was to determine if a short-term social cognitive theory intervention would improve physical functioning and enhance psychological adjustment after receiving a first time ICD. The central aim of this study was to determine if individuals participating in a telephone nursing intervention compared to usual care demonstrated (1) improved physical functioning, (2) improved psychological adjustment, 3) improved knowledge related to sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and the ICD, and (4) lower levels of health care use over a 3-month period post-ICD.

Inclusion Criteria:

• the ability to read, speak, and write English,
• having telephone access,
• willingness to be followed for 1 year.

Exclusion Criteria:

• significant clinical comorbidities that prevented their return home after hospitalization,
• younger than 21 years of age,
• Short BLESSED cognitive screening tool scores ≥10.