Page 87 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research
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54 n CInAHL DATABASE
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with access and income; in Russia, for exam- Nursing and Healthcare of Chronic Illness, pub-
ple, those with chronic illness with health lished by Wiley-Blackwell and edited by
C care insurance and higher average educa- Kralik, is devoted entirely to the nursing care
tion were associated with higher health care of those with chronic illness. other impor-
expenditures (Abegunde & Stanciole, 2008). tant contributions have shown that nursing-
Beyond its economic impact and strain led interventions among those with chronic
on health care systems, chronic illness causes illness improve quality of life and mood
psychological strain on individuals and (Bakitas et al., 2009). Internationally, nurses
physical and mental health effects on those can use behavioral and clinical interven-
who care for them, placing burdens on fami- tions to reduce the risk for many of the prob-
lies (Schulz & Sherwood, 2008). lems that lead to chronic illness and death
The traditional approach to studying (Besdine & Welte, 2010).
chronic illness has been limited, focusing on The landscape of chronic illness is
the medical model. Research has focused on diverse and complex, presenting a vast range
risk factors, prescriptions, and adherence to of symptoms and trajectories, accomplished
treatments (Canadian nurses Association, by a variety of demands over the natural his-
2005). However, a new health paradigm—a tory of the diseases. The impact of chronic
care-oriented model of illness—has emerged. illness on the patient, well family members,
The concept of health is more readily mea- and key caregivers differs and depends on
sured in terms of maximizing physical, psy- when an illness strikes in the family and on
chological, social, and spiritual well-being. In each member’s individual development. As
this paradigm, a holistic health-focused model chronic illness continues to advance through-
has become accepted with a resulting change out the world, it pushes individuals, families,
toward care of the whole person as well as and countries into poverty. nurses can be the
the family. In addition, in chronic disease bridge between those affected by chronic ill-
management, all clinical decisions need to be ness and health care services by promoting
individualized because they usually involve health, by preventing disease, and by caring
choices between possible outcomes that may for people (del Pilar Camargo Plazas, 2009).
be viewed differently by different patients.
The self and family management in chronic Ruth McCorkle
illness framework was developed to engage Mark Lazenby
individuals and families in the management
of their chronic conditions according to their
abilities and preferences (Grey, Knafl, &
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McCorkle, 2006). Building on the self and Cinahl database
family management framework, Whittemore
and Dixon (2008) have described how adults
with chronic illness can, through self- In the late 1940s, while Index Medicus existed
management interventions, integrate their for the biomedical literature, there was no
illnesses into their life contexts. De Ridder, index to the few nursing journals published
Geenen, Kuijer, and van Middendorp (2008) at the time. Individual librarians took it
have described how those with chronic con- upon themselves at their particular hospi-
ditions who are engaged in self-management tal or school of nursing to index the journals
strategies have the best chance to adjust to the they received for their own population, a tre-
challenges posed by their chronic illness. mendous “duplication of effort and expendi-
Pollock (1986) provided an initial review ture” as well as “waste on a national scale”
of nursing research related to adaptation to (Grandbois, 1964, p. 676). one such librarian
chronic illness. More recently, the Journal of in Los Angeles, Ella Crandall, used 3 × 5

