We studied the relationships among functional performance and three symptoms--dyspnea, fatigue, and sleep difficulty--in a sample of 100 people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). All participants had an FEV(1) 60% or less of the predicted level for age, sex, and height. Consistent with the Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms, dyspnea correlated with both fatigue and sleep difficulty. Dyspnea and fatigue both had moderate negative correlations with functional performance, while sleep difficulty had a small nonsignificant negative correlation with functional performance. After controlling for age and oxygen use, dyspnea was the only symptom to predict variance in functional performance significantly. Of the three symptoms studied, only dyspnea was related to both the other symptoms and to functional performance. Focusing on dyspnea may be the best way to improve both symptom experience and functional performance in people with COPD.

This study compared the effect of simulation and clinical experience timing on self-confidence/self-efficacy for the nursing process. Using a randomized, double-crossover design, self-efficacy was measured 3 times. Although self-efficacy was significantly higher at time 1 for students who had clinical experience, there was no difference between the groups at the end of the course (time 2). Thus, simulation increased self-confidence/self-efficacy equivalently if placed either before or after clinical experience.

This is a qualitative analysis of data from a multisite study of 156 participants with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Participants completed a battery of tests, including the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ) that contains an item assessing the impact of OSA on relationships. Approximately one third of participants wrote comments; they were predominately male, mean age 44.7, with severe OSA. Interpersonal themes expressed included work and marital problems and social life restriction. Intrapersonal themes included embarrassment and poor mood. This report adds specific details to previous reports of impaired relationships in OSA, and stresses the importance of assessing this critical area.

No abstract