The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency, patterns, and factors of reversals in decisions about life-sustaining treatment (LST) among older patients with terminal-stage chronic cardiopulmonary disease.

This was a retrospective correlational descriptive study based on medical chart review. De-identified patient electronic medical record data were collected from 124 deceased older patients with terminal-stage cardiopulmonary disease who had made reversals of LST decisions in an academic tertiary hospital in 2015. Data were extracted about the reversed LST decisions, LST treatments applied before death, and patients’ demographic and clinical factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with the reversal to higher intensity of LST treatment.

The use of inotropic agents was the most frequently reversed LST treatment, followed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation, intubation, ventilator therapy, and hemodialysis. Inconsistency between the last LST decisions and actual treatments occurred most often in hemodialysis. One-third of the reversals in LST decisions were made toward higher intensity of LST treatment. Patients who had lung diseases (vs. heart diseases); were single, divorced, or bereaved (vs. married); and had an acquaintance as a primary decision maker (vs. the patients themselves) were significantly more likely to reverse the LST decisions to higher intensity of LST treatment.

This study demonstrated the complex and turmoil situation of the LST decision-making process among older patients with terminal-stage cardiopulmonary disease and suggests the importance of support for patients and families in their LST decision-making process.

For cardiovascular patients, family caregivers play a vital role in daily nursing and cardiac emergencies. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of patient-centered CPR education (PCE) for family caregivers of patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Fifty-four participants were randomly assigned to the PCE or control group. The PCE group received tailored counseling on overall cardiovascular disease information and CPR followed by interactive instructor-guided CPR training and re-education follow-up by telephone 2 weeks later. The control group received only video-based CPR self-education and booklets. Cardiovascular disease and CPR knowledge and self-efficacy were measured before (pre-test), immediately after (post-test 1), and 4 weeks after the PCE (post-test 2). CPR skills and performance were measured pre-test and at post-test1.

The PCE group demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge (F=91.09, p<.001), self-efficacy (F=15.19, p<.001) and CPR skills and performance (F=8.10, p=.008), as well as significant differences over time (knowledge: F=364.25, p<.001; self-efficacy: F=1162.28, p<.001; CPR skills and performance: F=1798.81, p<.001). There were significant group-by-time interactions for knowledge (F=8.10, p=.001), self-efficacy (F=4.30, p=.019) and CPR skills and performance (F=4.81, p=.036) by repeated measures ANOVA.

This is the first study to demonstrate the effects of a patient-centered intervention with CPR education tailored for patients' and family caregivers' preferences, needs, and lifestyles. The results of this study encourage the use of tailored, patient-centered interventions in cardiovascular nursing practice.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills and teamwork of nurses in simulated cardiac arrests in the hospital.

A descriptive study was conducted with 35 teams of 3 to 4 registered nurses each in a university hospital located in Seoul. A mannequin simulator was used to enact simulated cardiac arrest. Assessment included critical actions, time elapsed to initiation of critical actions, quality of cardiac compression, and teamwork which comprised leadership behavior and communication among team members.

Among the 35 teams, 54% recognized apnea, 43% determined pulselessness. Eighty percent of the teams compressed at an average elapsed time of 108 ± 75 seconds with 35%, 36%, and 67% mean rates of correct compression depth, rate, and placement, respectively. Thirty- seven percent of the teams defibrillated at 224± 67 seconds. Leadership behavior and communication among team members were absent in 63% and 69% of the teams, respectively.

The skills of the nurses in this study cannot be considered adequate in terms of appropriate and timely actions required for resuscitation. Future resuscitation education should focus on improving the quality of cardiopulmonary resuscitation including team performance targeting the first responders of cardiac arrest.

This study was to analyze the sustainable effects of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) reeducation on nurses' knowledge and skills.

A repeated experimental design was used for a single sample group of 47 nurses working for a general hospital. The nurses were tested on their skill of CPR 3 times at an interval of 4 months. In order to test nurses' knowledge and skills, the researcher used a CPR assessment program linked to an adult practice doll (Anne).

1) The amount of decrease of nurses' knowledge about CPR between points of time was wide between the first and second points of time but small between the second and third time owing to the effects of reeducation between the two points of time. 2) Nurses' skills between the first and second time dropped but they improved between the second and third time owing to the effects of reeducation.

As confirmed by the above findings, reeducation of CPR clearly affects nurses' knowledge and skills. Given the fact that the same period of time (4 months) elapsed between the 3 tests, it could be argued that the reeducation at the second test served to maintain nurses' knowledge and enhance their skills.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a Self-efficacy-based Basic Life Support (SEBLS) program for high-risk patients' family caregivers on cardiac arrest. The SEBLS program was constructed on the basis of Bandura's self-efficacy resources as well as the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation's “2000 Guidelines for CPR and ECC”.

The effect of the SEBLS program on emergency response self-efficacy and emergency response behavior such as BLS(Basic Life Support) knowledge and BLS skill performance was measured by a simulated control group pretest-posttest design. Study subjects were38 high-risk patients' family caregivers(20 experimental subjects and 18 control subjects) whose family patients were admitted to a general hospital in Incheon, Korea.

1. Emergency response self-efficacy was significantly higher in the experimental subjects who participated in the SEBLS program than in the control subjects. (t=8.3102, p=0.0001). 2. For emergency response behavior, BLS knowledge (t=5.6941, p=0.0001) and BLS skill performance (t=27.8281, p=0.0001) was significantly higher in experimental subjects than in control subjects.

A SEBLS program can increase emergency response self-efficacy and emergency response behavior, and could be an effective intervention for high-risk patient's family caregivers. Long-term additional studies are needed to determine the lasting effects of the program.