Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Committee Chair

Sharon Starr

Abstract

Millions of individuals visit the emergency department (ED) each year with complaints of chest pain. Many chest pain patients do not have an underlying condition of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) but the health and well-being of these patients is indispensable. Research has indicated soaring costs, an increased demand in medical resources, and an increasingly poor quality of life for these patients after discharge. Although research encourages quality education at discharge, very few studies have been conducted on ED discharge education for non-ACS chest pain patients. Using a cross-sectional descriptive research design, this quantitative study discovered the frequency of education provided on important cardiovascular health topics and attitudes toward health promotion activities for non-ACS chest pain patients at discharge. Using the Preventive Medicine Attitudes and Activities Questionnaire (PMAAQ), the study's sample consisted of 30 ED nurses at a small hospital in the southeastern United States. Dorothea Orem's Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory (SCDNT) served as a guide in steering this study. Results indicated that nurses often educate on smoking cessation, medication adherence, and blood pressure control. Many ED nurses viewed their education as minimally effective but were able to indicate important educational topics for these patients. Lack of time was the greatest barrier to discharge education that ED nurses reported. This research study recognized both strengths and weaknesses in current discharge education practices. The improvement of education for non-ACS chest pain patients in the ED setting will impact their quality of life, health, and well-being after discharge.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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