The Effect of Satisfactory Patient Education on Patient Compliance: Evaluation of Readmission Rates on Post-Op CABG Patients

Abstract

<p>Post operative Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) patient readmission rates are increasing in an alarming rates and one of the reasons is that healthcare workers are not meeting the individual patient education needs at the time of hospitalization. The process of educating effectively is somewhat a vague concept for health care workers. According to Dunckley et al. (2008), the more relevant the education content provided to the patient, the more likely that it will produce the changes that will lead to better outcomes such as post-operative self care behaviors. The objective of the proposed study will be to evaluate the effectiveness of patient education provided by health care workers on the level of patient compliance as it relates to the readmission rates of post operative CABG patients. A quantitative descriptive correlation design will be used for the study. The subject recruitment will take place in discharge units from two Midwestern hospitals. Subjects for the study will be male and female CABG patients who are being discharged home. The approximate number of subjects will be 200 with consideration for mailin survey (increased by 60%) and also increased by 20% after assigning 30 subjects for each variable. The proposed study will be supported by Orem's theory of self-care. Data collection will include a mail-in-survey questionnaire that consists of Patient Learning Needs Scale (PLNS) and also a demographic questionnaire. All the PLNS items were internally consistent with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.87 (Fredericks et aI., 2009). In addition, readmission rate will be monitored by having a registry that will be active in all the Midwestern area hospitals within 200 mile radius. In conclusion, health care workers who individualize patient education will contribute to better patient self care behaviors in post-CABG patients.</p><p>This presentation occurred at the Wright State University Campus-Wide Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 16, 2010</p>