Pediatric cardiac surgery Parent Education Discharge Instruction (PEDI) program: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric cardiac surgery outcomes
• Nursing education and practice
• Healthcare in developing countries

Background:

• Increasing numbers of children with complex cardiac defects receive treatment in developing countries.
• Effective home care is crucial for successful long-term outcomes after pediatric cardiac surgery.
• The Parent Education Discharge Instruction (PEDI) program was designed to enhance nurses' discharge teaching skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a nurse-led structured discharge program.
• To generate preliminary data on the PEDI program's impact in an Indian pediatric cardiac surgery unit.

Main Methods:

• A pre-/post-design study involving 40 nurses and 20 parents.
• Evaluation through questionnaires assessing knowledge, satisfaction, and utility of training materials.
• Retrospective audits of 50 patient medical records to assess discharge teaching documentation.

Main Results:

• Nurses' discharge knowledge significantly increased from 81% to 96% (P = .001).
• Nurses and parents reported high satisfaction with educational materials (3.75-4.00 scale).
• Discharge teaching documentation in medical records improved from 48% to 96% post-implementation.

Conclusions:

• The nurse-led PEDI program is feasible, acceptable, useful, and sustainable in a cardiac unit.
• Further research is needed to evaluate broader outcomes for nurses, parents, children, and organizations.
• This highlights the potential of expanded nursing roles in resource-constrained settings.