A REVIEW OF EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS FOR ADULTS WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS

Abstract

Cystic Fibrosis is the most common life limiting genetic disease affecting Caucasians. The life expectancy of this cohort has increased and is predicted to reach retirement age. As most CF patients are diagnosed from birth, they undergo educational and management programs throughout their lives. However numerous studies have identified various knowledge gaps. This paper presents a scoping literature review of the available educational interventions for adult CF patients. This review follows the framework as outlined by Arksey et al. [9]. A search string is entered into four databases and the resulting literature is downloaded into the academic reference manager software, Mendeley version 1.16.1. The manuscripts are then subjected to title, abstract, and introduction refinement. The remaining manuscripts are then reviewed under the following headings: 1) Aims/Objective, 2) Patient Demographic, 3) Educational Focus, 4) Research Type Conducted, 5) Methodologies, 6) Results, and 7) Author Noted Limitations. Of the 3649 manuscripts, only eight remained after the refinement stages. A significant amount of the papers that were excluded focused on CF pediatric patients only. Of the remaining papers, four manuscripts focused solely on CF adults. Seven of the papers identified a range of issues with CF education, including anxiety, knowledge gaps, and a lack of educational teams. Five papers introduced an educational intervention, only one was for CF adults only. Two of the interventions were ICT based. Of the manuscripts, one intervention that targeted both children and adults was reported as being implemented into the hospital services long term. From the final papers reviewed, it is apparent that there appears to be an issue with adult CF education and knowledge gaps. With CF survival rates rising and a new aging CF population emerging, there is a need for educational programs and interventions to meet the changing needs of the CF adult population.