Discharge Planning After Myocardial Revascularization: Differences in Opinions From Patients and Health Experts

In-hospital education and discharge planning contribute to recovery after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).

The objective of this study was to identify differences in perception of the importance of discharge instructions between a sample of adult patients after CABG and health experts responsible for their care.

Thirty-five first-time CABG adult patients and 8 multidisciplinary experts rated a 46-item questionnaire of discharge education themes on a 3-point scale. Items were classified as most important if rated as "very important" by more than 85% of the participants in each group.

Of the 31 items considered most important (reaching the 85% approval criteria), agreement between groups was reached for 15 (48%), whereas 11 (35%) items were selected only by the patients and 5 (16%) were selected only by the experts.

The authors of this study demonstrate a difference in perception between patients and health experts regarding the importance of various discharge instructions. Better understanding areas of patient concern may improve discharge routines.