Current state and future directions of nursing and allied health research in implantable left ventricular assist devices.

BACKGROUND

No information describing the synthesis of studies surrounding "non-medical" management of LVAD patients and caregivers, mostly done by nurses or allied health professionals. This article provides an overview of the current state of published research in nursing and allied health disciplines, as well as its future directions.

METHODS

A state-of-the-art literature review, drawing on the author's reflexivity and research expertise with LVAD patients, caregivers, and nurses, was employed.

RESULTS

Themes emerged from the review of "non-medical" studies were clustered around the nursing metaparadigm's four core concepts: person (e.g., patient and caregiver lived experiences; health (e.g., signs/symptoms and health behaviors); environment (e.g., safety training); and nursing (e.g., bedside/staff nurse education and competencies). This synthesis of literature is consistent with the 24/7 proximity of nurses to patients and with their roles in long-term LVAD care, as applicable to allied health professions. Almost all the studies reviewed were descriptive, observational, or cross-sectional designs.

CONCLUSION

Despite the inherent limitations of this review, the current state of the science produced by nurses and allied health professionals is in its formative stage. Both professional groups are well-positioned to advance science by understanding the mechanisms through which patient, caregiver, and provider (i.e., nurses and allied health professionals) "factors" affect LVAD treatment outcomes beyond engineering and medical models. Finally, the article serves as a platform for reflective practice and a catalyst for collaboration to produce LVAD research that is responsive to the roles and scopes of practice of nursing and allied health professionals in long-term LVAD care.