Cardiac Nurses' Self-Rated Confidence and Knowledge in Patient Education: A Mixed-Methods Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Nursing Education
• Public Health

Background:

• Phase I cardiac rehabilitation (CR) patient education is crucial for self-management but often underdelivered.
• Underdelivery of Phase I CR impacts patient engagement in Phase II CR.
• This study assesses cardiac nurses' knowledge and confidence in delivering inpatient CR education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore cardiac nurses' self-rated knowledge and confidence in providing Phase I CR education.
• To identify specific areas within the "Six Steps to Cardiac Recovery" resource needing improvement.
• To uncover barriers affecting patient education delivery by nurses.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods approach combining cross-sectional surveys and qualitative interviews.
• Survey data analyzed using descriptive statistics and sub-group analysis.
• Qualitative data analyzed thematically to identify educational needs and barriers.

Main Results:

• 43 nurses completed the survey; overall high self-rated knowledge and confidence reported.
• Lowest knowledge/confidence areas: exercise/activity, emphasizing CR importance, explaining diagnosis/procedure.
• Key barriers identified: time constraints and competing clinical demands.

Conclusions:

• Nurses possess high confidence but require targeted education in specific areas.
• Findings support developing tailored nursing education programs for CR.
• Enhanced education can improve patient education practices and cardiovascular disease secondary prevention.