IMPROVING SYNCOPE-RELATED SYMPTOMS IN ELDERLY CARDIOLOGY OUTPATIENTS BY PROVIDING STANDARDIZED PRINTED PATIENT EDUCATION

Date
2020
Authors
Kam, Kasey
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Wang, Chen-Yen
Chan, Pon-Sang
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Nursing Practice
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Abstract
Background: Syncope - also known as fainting - is defined as a sudden and transient loss of consciousness resulting in the inability to maintain postural tone with rapid recovery that follows. Studies report approximately 40% of the U.S. population will experience a syncopal episode in their lifetimes (Runser et al., 2017), with recurrent syncope occurring in 13.5% of Americans who experience syncope. Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this evidence-based practice (EBP) quality improvement project was to determine whether standardized printed patient education on syncope topics improves syncope symptomatology in elderly cardiology outpatients at Kuakini Medical Center. Methods: Data were collected at two points. The first at an initial office visit via an author-developed pre-education survey that assessed for any history of syncope and any knowledge of lifestyle modifications to help avoid syncope. The second, at the patient’s follow-up visit approximately 60 to 90 days after the initial visit, via an author-developed post-education survey that assessed: any episode of syncope since the education was given, any improvement in symptoms, any increase or decrease in knowledge of lifestyle modifications, and any use of learned lifestyle modifications. Results: Initially, 14 patients who met the inclusion criteria were identified. Half of them either did not show to their initial or follow-up appointments and failed to reschedule or could not understand the surveys and/or education due to the lack of a translator. A total of 7 patients completed all aspects of the methodology pipeline. All 7 patients reported a past history of fainting on their pre-education survey, and all 7 reported no episode of fainting at their follow-up visit. Five (71%) patients reported an improvement in their symptoms at follow-up, while two (29%) reported no improvement. Discussion: The data collection period (September 2019 to January 2020) was short which disqualified patients who did not show to their appointments and could not reschedule in a timely manner. Subsequently, the already small sample size was reduced by half. In the future, a phone translating service may be considered in the event staff are unable to translate during the visit or the educational material should be translated by capable staff or sent out to be done by a qualified third-party. The data collection period should be extended to 6 months to a year. Conclusion: Receiving standardized printed education on syncope topics may improve syncope symptomatology in elderly cardiology outpatients.
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Keywords
Nursing, Health education, cardiology, education, elderly, fainting, outpatient, syncope
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40 pages
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