Group intervention: a psychosocial and educational approach to open heart surgery patients and their families

Fear and apprehension usually accompany surgery on the human heart. Experience and research have demonstrated that many patients who have undergone open heart surgery have less than optimal psychological outcomes. This article describes the response of one university hospital to the physiological and psychological needs of the cardiovascular surgery patient during the final phase of hospitalization. To give patients and families an opportunity to deal with their questions and concerns about discharge, one-sessional educational support groups are co-led by a social worker and cardiovascular nurse specialist. The development and implementation of patient and relative groups and the process through which a more comprehensive program evolved are described. An analysis of the experience and conclusions and recommendations for the future are reviewed.