Educational intervention reduces complications and rehospitalizations after heart surgery

The effectiveness of in-hospital self-care patient education, delivered to patients following heart surgery, is questionable, as evidence indicates individuals are not able to absorb and/or retain information at this time. In the absence of adequate instruction, individuals will not have the relevant information to engage in specific self-care behaviors, resulting in the onset of complications and/or hospital readmissions. The purpose of this pilot study was to collect preliminary evidence to demonstrate the impact of an individualized education intervention given above and beyond usual care, delivered, at two points in time, following hospital discharge. A randomized controlled trial was used in which 34 patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Chi-square analyses to examine differences between groups on complications and hospital readmission rates were conducted. Findings point to the impact of the intervention in reducing the number of hospital readmissions and complications at 3 months following hospital discharge.