Patient problems and evaluation of patient discharge education after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

AbstractCoronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABGS) patients who have a routine postoperative course are now being discharged as early as the fourth postoperative day. This descriptive and comparative study explored the postoperative problems experienced by CABGS patients after discharge from hospital and evaluated the patient discharge education program.No correlations were found between the length of hospital stay and the following factors; number and type of problems/concerns; whether patients felt ready to leave hospital on the discharge day; whether patients felt they were coping after discharge, and the number of and reasons for readmission to hospital after discharge. Continual review of the patient education program is recommended and further research into the discharge needs of rural patients is required.