Determining Discharge Learning Needs and Influencing Factors in Patients Undergoing Cardiovascular Surgery

Background: Discharge education plays a critical role in maintaining continuity of care at home. It is essential to identify the topics patients need during their hospital stay to tailor education accordingly. Discharge education should cover physical, psychological, and social aspects while addressing individual learning needs.

Aim: This study aims to assess patients’ learning needs after cardiovascular surgery in the post-discharge period.

Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted in the cardiovascular surgery clinic of a university hospital from June 20, 2018 to January 30, 2019. A total of 78 patients actively participated in this study. Data collection was performed using a questionnaire form, carefully prepared by the researchers, and the Patient Learning Needs Scale (PLNS). Data analysis included the Mann-Whitney U test and the Kruskal-Wallis test.

Results: The mean age of the 78 patients was 61.54 ± 11.55 years. The majority were male (78.2%), married (84.6%), and had completed primary education (61.5%). The PLNS demonstrated a significant level of importance, with an overall mean score of 209.00 ± 27.31. Among the different learning needs, life activities were rated as the most important (41.10 ± 3.83, level of importance: 4.57), while emotions related to the situation were considered the least important (16.56 ± 4.95, level of importance: 3.31). A significant relationship was observed between all PLNS dimensions and patients’ age, education, and income level (p < 0.05). Additionally, a notable difference was found between employment status and PLNS sub-dimensions, specifically in life activities and quality of life scores. This difference extended to factors such as the presence of chronic diseases, with significance noted in all PLNS dimensions except for medication and skin care (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery exhibited increased discharge needs, highlighting the necessity of restructuring discharge learning in the cardiovascular clinic. It is recommended that education be tailored to individual patient information needs, using patient-specific methods rather than conventional approaches for more effective and personalized post-cardiovascular surgery care.