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Biomedical subjects

C L Gilliss

Publications and source records attributed to C L Gilliss.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Events leading to the treatment of coronary artery disease: implications for nursing care.

The selection of a particular treatment for CAD was found to be related to the severity of illness, patients who were more severely disabled by angina elected surgical treatment after vessel blockage was documented by angiography. Differential access to treatments was not described by study subjects and therefore cannot be evaluated as a contributing factor to the selection of treatment. Although most subjects participated in a therapeutic pharmacologic regimen, few patients in either group employed dietary or exercise programs to ameliorate CAD. Most patients received information about CAD and about surgery as a treatment option. This educational communication was directed by the cardiologist for a large majority of patients. Nurses were cited as information sources for surgical subjects only. In retrospect, more than half of the surgical subjects indicated a need for additional information. The decision regarding which type of treatment to have was made autonomously by most subjects, unlike the usual decision-making styles of families of surgical patients. A significantly greater proportion of surgical patients identified their family as a source of support during the elected treatment. Both groups described family changes specific to the illness and selected treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Reducing family stress during and after coronary artery bypass surgery.

Based on the findings of this study of couples after coronary artery bypass surgery, there are numerous stresses and unmet needs that might be addressed by hospital-based nurses. The study demonstrated that, as a group, the spouses of the bypass patients report higher levels of stress than the patients did while in the hospital. Together, patients and spouses reported high levels of marital conflict, dissatisfaction, and discord during the first 6 months after the surgery. Many indicated that they were unprepared for these experiences. Further, they found it difficult to maintain continuity with a provider who could answer their questions about recovery. As a result of these findings a program of nursing care that focuses on the family during and after coronary artery bypass surgery has been proposed. The model program consists of preparation for surgery, preparation for discharge, and continuous contact with the family after discharge, at least through the first follow-up appointment with the surgeon at 6 weeks. For each phase it is necessary to consider content that is appropriate to the individual patient, but it is essential to include content aimed at reducing the stresses and risk experienced by the family as well. By doing so hospital-based nurses are treating the family as well as nursing the patient through this episode of acute illness.

Continuity of Patient Care↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The dilemmas of parents of adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a better understanding of parents' experiences as their children with congenital heart disease mature through adolescence and young adulthood. DESIGN: A qualitative pilot study. SETTING: The physician practices of the pediatric cardiology service of a large university medical center. SUBJECTS: Eight parents of adolescents and young adults with congenital heart disease. INTERVENTION: Each parent was separately interviewed with use of a semistructured interview guide. RESULTS: Our study has identified seven themes--the dilemmas of normality, disclosure dilemmas, the challenge of uncertainty, illness management dilemmas and strategies, social integration versus social isolation, the impact of illness on the family, and coping--with which parents have struggled through-out their adolescent's and young adult's life. It was not possible to determine whether the experiences described by these parents are unique. CONCLUSIONS: Parents experience distress, as outlined in the seven themes. They need assistance to determine what is "normal" for their child and how to monitor their child's health and safety. Further research is needed to develop specific interventions.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Measuring parental grief after childhood cancer: potential use of the SCL-90R.

To contribute to a better understanding of the utility of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90R; L. Derogatis, 1983) with bereaved samples, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted on SCL-90R responses of 97 parents 2 years after the death of their child from cancer. The factor analysis revealed one significant factor that accounted for 30% of the variance in this administration. This factor included many items that reflected the theme of somatic complaints.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Recruitment and retention of healthy minority women into community-based longitudinal research.

This report examines the impact of individualized, population-based recruitment and retention approaches on the development of a subject pool, enrollment, and retention at 12 months of healthy, community-based women in three ethnic groups: African Americans, non-Hispanic European Americans, and Mexicans/Central Americans. Of 722 women contacted and screened, 346 (48%) were eligible and consented to participate. Attrition at 12 months was low (10%) compared with other published reports. The largest group of potential subjects was identified through broadcast media approaches, but this method produced the highest number of ineligible women and highest rate of attrition. Printed matter produced the next largest group of potential subjects, but ineligibility was high (53%). Face-to-face interactions enrolled the highest proportion of eligible women (84%) and lowest overall attrition (7%). Direct referral yielded fairly efficient enrollments (57%) and average attrition. Multiple approaches for recruitment can produce a diverse sample of healthy, community-based women. Face-to-face recruitment results in the highest yield of participants with the lowest attribution but is presumed to require more resources.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Data gathering by telephone. An application in a study of clinical nursing.

This article addresses the use of the telephone in collection of research data. First, the authors review the benefits and limitations of data collection by telephone as they are discussed in the literature. Collection of data by telephone has been favorably compared to data collection by mail and by home interview. Next, use of the telephone in a study of individual and family health outcomes from cardiac surgery is discussed. Telephone data collection produced higher rates of return at less expense than did mail return of data. Thus, the use of the telephone was an effective and economic technique for data collection.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychosomatic symptoms in parents 2 years after the death of a child with cancer.

Forty-five mothers and 30 fathers, representing 58 families, completed the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised, a measure of current psychological and somatic symptoms, 24 months after the death of a child with cancer. The mean scores from six symptom dimensions (somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and hostility) and a global measure of the depth of symptomatology, the Global Severity Index, were contrasted with those of the nonpatient and psychiatric outpatient norms reported by Derogatis (1983). Two years after the child's death parents showed a symptom profile reflecting significantly greater distress than that reported by nonbereaved, nonpatient adults. The results highlight important distinctions between bereaved parents and psychiatric outpatients.

Adolescent↗