Research Focus 1:
The development and testing of innovative, mobile health technology (m-health) interventions for individuals suffering from acute and palliative cardiovascular diseases.
Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) (unstable angina and myocardial infarction) are leading causes of increased morbidity and mortality and impose significant economic burden on health care systems worldwide. ACS pain is typically severe and anxiety-provoking. Accumulating evidence indicates that unresolved ACS pain and anxiety contribute to immediate and long-term major adverse cardiac events (i.e., re-infarction, lethal dysrhythmia, development of persistent cardiac pain, decreased health–related quality of life (HRQL), increased anxiety, hospital length of stay, health service burden, morbidity and mortality). With the advancement in technology, mobile health (m-health) applications are being used across different pain populations as an intervention for symptom management. Within cardiovascular populations m-health technologies have been limited to aspects of disease prevention and risk factor modification that include weight loss, smoking cessation, physical activity/exercise, diabetes mellitus, blood pressure control, and cholesterol monitoring. Unique to Dr. O’Keefe-McCarthy’s program of research, is to develop, design and test symptom treatment interventions that are informed and designed by patients living with heart disease and health care professionals who treat individuals that suffer with cardiovascular disease.
Current Research Projects:
- An End User-Designed Application for Emergent Acute Heart Pain: The ACUTE-♥-PAIN APP! Phase I: Qualitative Needs Assessment. [data analysis and manuscript preparation- in progress]
Associated Publications:
- An End User-Designed Application for Emergent Acute Heart Pain: The ACUTE-♥-PAIN APP! Phase I: Qualitative Needs Assessment. [manuscript preparation- in progress].
- O’Keefe-McCarthy, S., McGillion, M., Clarke, S., & McFetridge-Durdle, J. (2014). Pain and anxiety in rural acute coronary syndrome patients awaiting diagnostic cardiac catheterization. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. DOI: 10: 1097/JCN0000000000000203.
- O’Keefe-McCarthy, M. McGillion, S. Nelson, S. Clarke, J. Jones, S. Rizza, & McFetridge-Durdle (2014). Acute Coronary Syndrome Pain and Anxiety in a Rural Emergency Department- Patient and Nurse Perspectives. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research. 46(2), 80-100.