Time Management Strategies for Research Productivity

Researchers function in a complex environment and carry multiple role responsibilities. This environment is prone to various distractions that can derail productivity and decrease efficiency. Effective time management allows researchers to maintain focus on their work, contributing to research productivity. Thus, improving time management skills is essential to developing and sustaining a successful program of research. This article presents time management strategies addressing behaviors surrounding time assessment, planning, and monitoring. Herein, the Western Journal of Nursing Research editorial board recommends strategies to enhance time management, including setting realistic goals, prioritizing, and optimizing planning. Involving a team, problem-solving barriers, and early management of potential distractions can facilitate maintaining focus on a research program. Continually evaluating the effectiveness of time management strategies allows researchers to identify areas of improvement and recognize progress

Normalizing Rejection

Getting turned down for grant funding or having a manuscript rejected is an uncomfortable but not unusual occurrence during the course of a nurse researcher’s professional life. Rejection can evoke an emotional response akin to the grieving process that can slow or even undermine productivity. Only by “normalizing” rejection, that is, by accepting it as an integral part of the scientific process, can researchers more quickly overcome negative emotions and instead use rejection to refine and advance their scientific programs. This article provides practical advice for coming to emotional terms with rejection and delineates methods for working constructively to address reviewer comments

Strategies for a Successful PhD Program: Words of Wisdom From the \u3cem\u3eWJNR\u3c/em\u3e Editorial Board

Nursing doctoral programs prepare students for research-focused careers within academic settings. The purpose of this Editorial Board Special Article is to provide PhD students and advisors with suggestions for making the most of their doctoral experience. Editorial Board members provide their individual insights on the skills and attributes students must acquire during the course of their doctoral education in order to succeed. The authors provide practical tips and advice on how to excel in a PhD program, including how to select an advisor and a dissertation committee, the importance of attending conferences to increase visibility and develop a network of colleagues, presenting and publishing research while still a student, and balancing work and personal life. Students who take full advantage of the opportunities available to them during the course of their doctoral programs will graduate well prepared to take on the multiple responsibilities of research, teaching, and leadership

Systematic review of symptom clusters in cardiovascular disease

Background: Although individual symptoms and symptom trajectories for various cardiovascular conditions have been reported, there is limited research identifying the symptom clusters that may provide a better understanding of patients’ experiences with heart disease. Aims: To summarize the state of the science in symptom cluster research for patients with acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass surgery, and heart failure through systematic review and to provide direction for the translation of symptom cluster research into the clinical setting. Methods: Databases were searched for articles from January 2000 through to May 2015 using MESH terms “symptoms, symptom clusters, acute coronary syndrome (ACS), myocardial infarction (MI), coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), heart failure (HF), coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS), cluster analyses, and latent classes.” The search was limited to human studies, English language articles, and original articles investigating symptom clusters in individuals with heart disease. Fifteen studies meeting the criteria were included. Results: For patients with ACS and MI, younger persons were more likely to experience clusters with the most symptoms. Older adults were more likely to experience clusters with the lowest number of symptoms and more diffuse and milder symptom clusters that are less reflective of classic ACS presentations. For HF patients, symptom clusters frequently included physical and emotional/cognitive components; edema clustered in only three studies. Symptom expression was congruent across geographical regions and cultures. Conclusions: The findings demonstrated similarities in symptom clusters during ACS, MI, and HF, despite multiple methods and analyses. These results may help clinicians to prepare at-risk patients for proper treatment-seeking and symptom self-management behaviors

Symptom Clusters in Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Secondary Data Analysis

Background: Early recognition of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) symptoms and reduced time to treatment may reduce morbidity and mortality. People having AMI experience a constellation of symptoms, but the common constellations or clusters of symptoms have yet to be identified. Objectives: To identify clusters of symptoms that represent AMI. Methods: This was a secondary data analysis of nine descriptive, cross-sectional studies that included data from 1,073 people having AMI in the United States and England. Data were analyzed using latent class cluster analysis, an atheoretical method that uses only information contained in the data. Results: Five distinct clusters of symptoms were identified. Age, race, and sex were statistically significant in predicting cluster membership. None of the symptom clusters described in this analysis included all of the symptoms that are considered typical. In one cluster, subjects had only a moderate to low probability of experiencing any of the symptoms analyzed. Discussion: Symptoms of AMI occur in clusters, and these clusters vary among persons. None of the clusters identified in this study included all of the symptoms that are included typically as symptoms of AMI (chest discomfort, diaphoresis, shortness of breath, nausea, and lightheadedness). These AMI symptom clusters must be communicated clearly to the public in a way that will assist them in assessing their symptoms more efficiently and will guide their treatment-seeking behavior. Symptom clusters for AMI must also be communicated to the professional community in a way that will facilitate assessment and rapid intervention for AMI

Secrets of Successful Short Grant Applications

Nursing doctoral programs prepare students for research-focused careers within academic settings. The purpose of this Editorial Board Special Article is to provide PhD students and advisors with suggestions for making the most of their doctoral experience. Editorial Board members provide their individual insights on the skills and attributes students must acquire during the course of their doctoral education in order to succeed. The authors provide practical tips and advice on how to excel in a PhD program, including how to select an advisor and a dissertation committee, the importance of attending conferences to increase visibility and develop a network of colleagues, presenting and publishing research while still a student, and balancing work and personal life. Students who take full advantage of the opportunities available to them during the course of their doctoral programs will graduate well prepared to take on the multiple responsibilities of research, teaching, and leadership

Concerns and Risk Factor Modification in Women During the Year After Coronary Artery Surgery

Background: Future plans or return to a usual lifestyle has been shown to be of concern to persons recovering from coronary artery surgery. However it is not clear whether early concerns remain stable or evolve over time. Objective: To examine women\u27s concerns about having coronary artery surgery and living with coronary artery disease after surgery over time. Methods: Concerns and risk factor modification strategies were measured in 55 women at 1, 6, and 12 months after coronary artery surgery. The Carr and Powers Stressor Scale and an investigator-developed interview were used. Results: Women\u27s primary concerns shifted over the year from surgical recovery to living with coronary heart disease. At 1 month after surgery, issues related to future plans, such as progress in recovery and resuming lifestyle, were rated as causing the most concern. Concern about diet was the highest rated concern 1 year after surgery. More than half of the women reported exercising more, and approximately three fourths reported eating a better diet 1 year after surgery. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that women are concerned about diet and exercise, and many women attempt to change their behavior. Capitalizing on women\u27s concerns about living with coronary artery disease may help address risk factors. However, specialized interventions may be needed that focus on women who are not concerned about and/or not engaged in risk reduction behaviors

Fatigue in the Presence of Coronary Heart Disease

Fatigue is a prevalent and disabling symptom associated with many acute and chronic conditions. It has been identified as a symptom of acute myocardial infarction and chronic heart failure, but it has not been explored in patients with stable coronary heart disease (CHD). Objectives: The purpose of this partially mixed sequential dominant status study was to: 1) describe fatigue in patients with stable CHD, 2) determine if specific demographic (sex, age, education, income), physiologic (hypertension, hyperlipidemia) or psychological variables (depressive symptoms) were correlated with fatigue, and 3) determine if fatigue was associated with health-related quality of life. The theory of unpleasant symptoms was used as a conceptual framework to guide the study design and aims. Methods: Patients (N =102) attending two cardiology clinics were enrolled and completed the Fatigue Symptom Inventory, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 to measure fatigue, depressive symptoms, and health-related quality of life. Thirteen patients whose interference from fatigue was low, moderate, or high participated in qualitative interviews. Results: Forty percent of the sample reported fatigue more than 3 days of the week lasting more than one-half of the day. Lower interference from fatigue was reported on standardized measures compared to qualitative interviews. Women reported a higher fatigue intensity (t = 2.27; p = 0.003) and more interference from fatigue (t = 2.74; p = 0.007) compared to men. In regression analyses, depressive symptoms were the sole predictor of fatigue intensity and interference. Discussion: Stable CHD patients reported clinically relevant levels of fatigue. Patients with stable CHD may discount fatigue as they adapt to their symptoms. Relying solely on standardized measures may provide an incomplete picture of fatigue burden in patients with stable CHD

Optimism, Coping, and Long-Term Recovery from Coronary Artery Surgery in Women

Optimism, coping strategies, and psychological and functional outcomes were measured in 55 women undergoing coronary artery surgery. Data were collected in‐hospital and at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Optimism was related to positive moods and life satisfaction, and inversely related to negative moods. Few relationships were found between optimism and functional ability. Cognitive coping strategies accounted for a mediating effect between optimism and negative mood. Optimists were more likely to accept their situation, and less likely to use escapism. In turn, these coping strategies were inversely related to negative mood and mediated the relationship between optimism and this outcome. Optimism was not related to problem‐focused coping strategies; thus, these coping strategies cannot explain the relationship between optimism and outcomes