Doc, how much time do I have?
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Journal Article↗
Biomedical subjects
Mary E Johnson
Publications and source records attributed to Mary E Johnson.
Exercise during hemodialysis decreases the use of antihypertensive medications.
Most hemodialysis patients require antihypertensive therapy. Aerobic exercise has been suggested as a nonpharmacologic treatment for hypertension in many patient populations, including those with chronic renal failure. To test the effectiveness of this therapy in an outpatient long-term hemodialysis clinic, the hemodialysis staff instituted a stationary cycling program during dialysis and offered the program to all patients (n = 107). Forty patients agreed to participate, and 35 nonexercising patients served as controls. Patients performed stationary cycling during each hemodialysis treatment. Predialysis blood pressures, postdialysis blood pressures, and antihypertensive medication use were recorded during a 6-month period. Costs of the medication were analyzed at the end of the study. Of participants, 24 (60%) completed 6 months of exercise with a mean increase in total cycling time from 16.9 min/session to 45.5 min/session. No serious adverse events were reported. Predialysis and postdialysis blood pressures were not statistically different between the two groups at month 0 or month 6, but 13 (54%) in the exercise group had a reduction in antihypertensive medication versus 4 (12.5%) in the control group (P = 0.008). The average relative benefit of exercise was a 36% reduction in antihypertensive medications (P = 0.018) with an average annual cost savings of $885/patient-year (P = 0.005) in the exercise group. Stationary cycling is safe during hemodialysis and can lead to significant reductions in blood pressure medication use and cost savings, justifying the initial capital cost of equipment and small incremental increase in staff time.
Antihypertensive Agents↗
Why Rush will keep the DNSc.
Surveys of research-intensive doctoral programs in nursing reveal few differences between the doctor of nursing science (DNSc) and the doctor of philosophy (PhD) degrees in nursing. Yet the proportion of DNSc programs relative to PhD programs in nursing has declined progressively over the past 10 years. Recently, Rush University College of Nursing formed a task force to examine whether Rush should continue to offer the DNSc degree or change to a PhD in nursing program. Task force members interviewed 21 nurse leaders representing 18 universities granting doctoral degrees in nursing about their perceptions of the DNSc and PhD in nursing degrees, the focus of their doctoral programs, why their nursing school chose the degree it currently offers, and whether Rush should retain the DNSc degree. This article describes the results of those interviews, how their comments helped the task force re-evaluate its goals for doctoral education, and the rationale for ultimately choosing to retain the DNSc degree.
Advisory Committees↗