Abstract
Background
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and premature mortality and is estimated to cause 40% of all deaths and 33 percent of life years lost between 45 and 64 years of age in New Zealand (New Zealand Guidelines Group, 2003). New advanced nursing models have developed in response · to changing healthcare demands, strategic development and technological advances. The literature suggests that nurse-led management of cardiovascular disease leads to improved outcomes for patients, with the emphasis on the adoption of a healthy lifestyle and the optimisation of the management of modifiable risk factors.
Objective
The aim of this integrative literature review is to analyse the characteristics of nurse-led interventions for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. This review considers the nurse as the intervention provider, and examines the reported effectiveness of differing forms of successful management strategies.
Research Methodology
This integrative review considers studies that met the inclusion criteria, including interventional and non-interventional research designs. The Joanna Briggs Institute format for literature reviews is utilised, integrating other methods for appraisal and synthesis, allowing the systematic gathering of report themes. Thematic analysis of the emerging themes describes the factors that support or impede the development of the nurse-led clinic, assessing and describing the characteristics of the successful clinic.
Results
Seventeen .studies met the inclusion criteria and these were included in this integrative review. The initial appraisal resulted in a narrative summary of the included studies, the extracted themes relating to the research questions, and provided the sub-headings within the study reports. The data extrapolated from individual sources underwent further synthesis, developing important and accurate themes in order to answer the research questions. The review findings describe the intrinsic factors that surround the preparation and support of the nurse, as well as nursing management of cardiovascular disease relating these to the current New Zealand primary health environment.