Nursing in cardiology: state of the art and frontiers of knowledge

• Published in: Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem 2017-05, Vol.70 (3), p.451-452
• Main Authors: Barros, Alba Lúcia Bottura Leite de, Cavalcante, Agueda Maria Ruiz Zimmer
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cardiology; Global health; Internet; Knowledge; Nurses; Nursing; Nursing care
• ISSN: 0034-7167; 1984-0446; 0034-7167; 1984-0446
• DOI: 10.1590/0034-7167.2017700301

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167.2017700301 Heart diseases lead the group of clinical disorders with higher rates of hospitalization and mortality and present a progressive increase in incidence due to population ageing, simultaneously to the development of new health therapies and technology.DATASUS(1) estimated a cost of nearly 700 million Reais1 for the country's health care system in 2015, only for people with heart failure and acute myocardial infarction.The development and validation of scales and measurement instruments helps nurses to establish actions and to make decisions that aim at improving the health care process for the patient.Despite the wide possibilities and the necessity of nurses' work, health care environments are marked by challenging variables such as shortage of workforce, physical structure, equipment and material; inadequate salaries; double working hours; constant physical effort; and the risk of accidents.Studies addressing diagnostic accuracy studies, taxonomy and identification of new phenomena contribute to the consolidation of the nursing body of knowledge; studies on the applicability and effectiveness of interventions with positive outcomes add visibility and ensure optimal standards of care.There is an urgent need to reduce the gap between health care at the hospital and at primary services, providing continuing education to the nursing care consumer and, as a consequence, leading to behavioral changes and self-management of disease.In secondary prevention actions in different health care settings, nursing professionals should be made aware of technologies such as mobile applications and web pages(3).