title: Assessing the response of patients and spousal/partner caregivers to a new instrument measuring dyadic heart failure care types.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nurse researchers are exploring new ways of understanding heart failure (HF), spousal/partner dyad's self care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the response to a new instrument developed to measure dyadic HF care type in HF patients and spousal/partner caregivers and explore relationships between type and other variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dyads answered a written criterion referenced question related to dyadic HF care type. The relationships between the dyadic care type and sociodemographic and clinical variables were explored using χ 2, ϕ coefficient. Degree of agreement within the dyad on particular type was assessed by kappa statistic.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 19 dyads were accrued. Patients were aged 71.7 ± 9.7 years (mean ± SD), male (n=15), and NYHA Class IIIB/IV (79%). Caregivers were aged 69.2 ± 11.7 years, female (n=15), married for 45.2 ± 14.1 years. HF patient and caregiver dyads were easily able to self select a dyadic type given specific criteria. Agreements ranged from 21% to 5%, by type, resulting in a kappa of 0.28 (p = 0.025) when patient self reported type was compared to their caregiver's type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Now that we are able to measure types of dyadic HF care, understanding how dyadic care type relates to self care outcomes is needed to advance the science.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 , USA. hgb2@psu.edu
authors.forename: Harleah G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Buck
authors.forename: Cheryl H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zambroski
authors.forename: Judith E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Hupcey
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012648:Self Care; D018454:Spouses