Page 58 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

BIOFeeDBAck n 25

institutions of care, privately alongside mul- have ventured forth using validated skills
tiple other health disciplines. Other schisms and techniques to treat patients with these
are that these practitioners are not inclined problems although the skills and the tools B
to undertake research. Those who are doing for practice are accessible and clearly in the
research tend to be faculty in universities realm of nursing practice. The following are
who have little access to practice settings. some of the examples:
The nursing biofeedback field could advance
markedly if these activities and profession- 1. Advanced heart failure, even after open
als could merge, as has medicine, to develop heart surgery and multiple stent proce-
research-based programs for specific target dures, chronic obstructive lung disease,
clinical problems. and diabetic complications such as reti-
Nursing biofeedback research has nopathy can actually be reversed by offer-
shown effective changes in patient symp- ing compressed O (through closed mask
2
toms through application of complementary administration) while exercising (linke
techniques. A review of biofeedback or self- et al., 2005; Moreno de Azevedo et al., 2010;
management training research by nurses Nguyen et al., 2004; Tsutsui et al., 2001;
before 1997 indicated favorable patient out- ventura-clapier, Mettauer, & Bigard, 2007).
comes when performing management of Oxygen starvation is well known to form
stress symptoms, progressive relaxation, the basis of death of cells through inability
reduction of tension with electromyography of cells to obtain nourishment as a result
training, hand warming, training during of reduced blood flow. The oxygen under
childbirth, respiratory training, and Hrv pressure opens the arteries and capillar-
training (Nakagawa-kogan, 1994). These ies and detoxifies the system through a
publications predominantly indicated indi- broader and greater force of blood to the
vidual efforts to inform the field of their extremities of the body. This static would
respective specialized treatments. Over the require a prescription by advanced regis-
years, there is very little shift to indicate that tered nurse practitioners.
programs of care by nurses have proliferated.
Although few biofeedback studies have been In lieu of compressed O while exercising,
2
generated in nursing publications, there is the advanced registered nurse practitioner
evidence that more biofeedback research may prescribe the hyperbaric chamber for
methods and physiological measurement patients who cannot exercise. This chamber
feedback research articles have proliferated can infuse concentrated O into various parts
2
by faculty in nursing teaching programs, of the body to heal diabetic ulcers, general-
which are competitive in nonnursing jour- ized infections such as psoriasis, and chronic
nals. An example is the edited handbook of lung problems, to name a few conditions.
neurofeedback, with one of the authors as
a second editor: Introduction to Quantitative 2. chronic pain and nonhealing ulcers or
EEG and Neurofeedback: Advanced Theory and wounds are treatable with many of the
Applications (Budzynski, Budzynski, evans, & self-help microcurrent instruments that
Abarbanal, 2008). are currently available on the market.
It is informative to point out the follow- The current, issued at a microcurrent
ing: chronic symptom patterns such as in level of microamperes, provides a gentle
advanced heart failure, sudden cardiac arrest, but powerful change of polarity in tis-
incontinence following surgery, chronic pain, sues damaged and scarred by accidents,
nonhealing wounds, and elderly cognitive infections, toxicity, or aging. The small
decline are symptoms that are frequently in current, when applied to damaged areas,
the domain of care by nurses. Yet few nurses heals by opening the ion channels of the