Timing of preoperative patient teaching

Area of Science:

• Health Education
• Patient Care
• Surgical Preparation

Background:

• Rising healthcare costs and payer constraints are reducing in-hospital time for preoperative teaching.
• Effective preoperative instruction is crucial for patient preparedness and outcomes.
• Alternative models for preoperative education delivery are needed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of inpatient versus outpatient preoperative teaching on patient anxiety and knowledge levels.
• To evaluate the impact of timing for preoperative education delivery.
• To identify optimal strategies for cost-effective patient preparation.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-two patients were divided into inpatient (day before surgery) and outpatient (4-8 days before surgery) preoperative instruction groups.
• Anxiety and knowledge levels were assessed pre-instruction, post-instruction, and the evening before surgery.
• Statistical analyses, including analysis of variance with pretest as a covariate, were employed.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in anxiety levels were observed between the inpatient and outpatient groups.
• The outpatient group demonstrated significantly greater knowledge gain compared to the inpatient group (P = 0.018).
• A positive correlation was found between higher knowledge scores and having prior experience with someone undergoing cardiac surgery (P = 0.022).

Conclusions:

• Preoperative education timing (up to a week before vs. the day before surgery) does not significantly impact patient anxiety.
• Outpatient preoperative teaching is more effective in enhancing patient knowledge acquisition.
• Preadmission outpatient teaching represents a more economical and effective approach for preoperative patient education.