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Margarete Lieb Zalon

Publications and source records attributed to Margarete Lieb Zalon.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Using and understanding factor analysis: the Brief Pain inventory.

Factor analysis is useful for examining relationships among large numbers of variables and understanding the conceptual structure of an instrument The Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), which measures pain in terms of its severity and interference with function, has been widely used with cancer patients. A secondary analysis of BPI data in a sample of postoperative patients is used to illustrate the factor analytic method. The resulting two-factor solution of pain's interference with function and pain severity are discussed by Margarete Lieb Zalon in relation to the validity of the BPI along with considerations in using the instrument with surgical patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Nurses' assessment of postoperative patients' pain.

This study examined nurses' assessments of pain in postoperative patients. Subjects were 119 registered nurses and 119 abdominal surgery patients at two community and two university hospitals. Patients completed a visual analogue scale (VAS) when they indicated the presence of pain. Simultaneously, the nurse with the primary responsibility for the patient's care completed a VAS to indicate an assessment of the patient's pain. The results indicated nurses' assessments were modestly, but significantly, correlated with their patients' pain. The majority of the nurses underassessed their patients' pain. Further inspection of the data, however, revealed that nurses' assessments were related to the degree of pain experienced by patients. Nurses underassessed more severe pain and overassessed mild pain. Nurses' accuracy in assessments were related neither to patients' age nor to the length of time since surgery. Implications for clinical practice and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Abdomen↗

Correlates of recovery among older adults after major abdominal surgery.

BACKGROUND: Little research has examined the recovery patterns of older adults who have had major abdominal surgery. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether pain, depression, and fatigue are significant factors in the return of older adults who had major abdominal surgery to functional status and self-perception of recovery in the first 3 months after discharge from the hospital. METHODS: A correlational predictive study involved adults 60 years of age or older who had undergone major abdominal surgery. Data were collected during hospitalization (n = 192), then 3 to 5 days (n = 141), 1 month (n = 132), and 3 months after discharge to home (n = 126) using the Brief Pain Inventory, the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form, the Modified Fatigue Symptom Checklist, the Enforced Social Dependency Scale, and the Self-Perception of Recovery Scale. RESULTS: Multiple regression analysis indicated that pain, depression, and fatigue are significantly related to patients' self-perception of recovery and functional status. Pain, depression, and fatigue explain 13.4% of the variation in functional status at 3 to 5 days, 30.8% at 1 month, and 29.1% at 3 months after discharge. These three factors also explain 5.6% of the variation in self-perception of recovery during hospitalization, 12.3% at 3 to 5 days, 33.2% at 1 month, and 16.1% at 3 months after discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Pain, depression, and fatigue are important factors to consider in the provision of care to abdominal surgery patients with a relatively uncomplicated postoperative course. Specific interventions to reduce pain, depression, and fatigue need to be evaluated for their impact on the postoperative recovery of older adults.

Abdomen↗