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Biomedical subjects

E M Stuart

Publications and source records attributed to E M Stuart.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

Influence of psychosocial factors and biopsychosocial interventions on outcomes after myocardial infarction.

Management of the myocardial infarction patient may extend beyond the physiologic to include psychosocial factors that may adversely affect cardiac health. Psychosocial factors such as depression, coronary-prone behavior, hostility, social isolation, anxiety, anger, and stress are related to increased cardiac death and illness. Various interventions including cognitive-behavioral therapies, techniques that elicit the relaxation response, meditation, exercise, and increasing social networks, may play a role in improving health outcomes. This article explores the relationship of these psychosocial factors to cardiac health and proposes a biopsychosocial model of care.

Adaptation, Psychological

The mind-body connection: the psychophysiology of many traditional nursing interventions.

The bidirectional relationship between mind and body and the concept that psychological processes can produce attendant physiologic changes are explored in this article. The mind-body connection provides a framework for exploring a psychophysiologic explanation for the therapeutic properties of some traditional nursing interventions to potentiate health and healing. This model allows nurses to move from tradition-based practice to knowledge-based practice. CNSs provide direct patient care, consult with staff nurses, influence systems of care, and engage in outcome research. This mind-body paradigm provides a model for practice and a framework for quantifying outcomes.

Holistic Health

Psychophysiologic control mechanisms in ischemic heart disease: the mind-heart connection.

The cardiovascular system is a unified, dynamic, constantly responding system. Adjustments are made in response to local metabolic factors, systemic physiologic factors, or peripheral and central nervous system factors. This article focuses on the interactions of the cardiovascular system with the peripheral and central nervous system. Since activation of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system appears to play an important role in cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology, a more detailed description of this system appears. Using Engel's Biopsychosocial Model of Health and Disease, the impact of the mind and emotions on cardiovascular behavior and health is emphasized. Several key nursing interventions that have been shown to impact favorably on mind-heart interactions are highlighted.

Coronary Disease

The efficacy of the relaxation response in preparing for cardiac surgery.

This study evaluated the efficacy of the relaxation response on the post-operative recovery of 27 cardiac surgery patients randomly assigned to one of two groups. Thirteen experimental group patients received educational information and practiced eliciting the relaxation response before and after surgery. The 14 patients in the control group received only information. Experimental and control groups were compared before and after surgery on both physiological and psychological recovery variables. There were no initial differences between experimental and control groups on demographic, physiological, and most psychological variables. The experimental group had lower incidence of postoperative supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) than the control group (p = .04) despite having had the same occurrence previously. Experimental and control groups did not significantly differ over the course of study on any other physiological variables. Patients practicing the relaxation response had greater decreases in psychological tension (p = .04) and anger (p = .04) than those who received only educational information. The decreases in psychological tension may have been a result of regression to the mean because the experimental group started with elevated tension relative to the control group (p = .04). We conclude that practicing the relaxation response before and after surgery may reduce SVT, tension, and anger.

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