Suzanne Fredericks

Postoperative Patient Education: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Knowledge of the effects of the specific approach, mode of delivery, and dose of educational interventions is essential to develop and implement effective postoperative educational interventions. Understanding the relationships of patient characteristics to outcomes is important for educational interventions. Purpose and method: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine who would most benefit from postoperative education, given in what type of approach and mode, and at what dose? The sample included 58 studies involving 5,271 participants. Major results: Findings indicate that delivery of postoperative patient education through the individualization of content, use of combined media for delivery, provision of education on a one-on-one basis, and in multiple sessions is associated with improvement in educational/health outcomes. Samples that contained individuals younger than 50 years and higher percentages of males showed benefits in outcomes of moderate magnitude. Application: The results highlight the importance of attending to the characteristics of both the elements of postoperative educational interventions and the individual patients in the design and delivery of patient education.

Effects of the Characteristics of Teaching on the Outcomes of Heart Failure Patient Education Interventions: A Systematic Review

Background: Limited research has examined the specific approach, mode of delivery, and dose of educational interventions. Yet such knowledge is essential to develop effective heart failure educational interventions. Aims and methods: The intent of this systematic review was to determine what approach, mode, and dose is most effective in producing changes in heart failure patient education. The sample included 69 studies involving 1865 study participants. Results: Findings indicate the most effective means for delivery heart failure patient education is through the individualization of content, the use of combined mediums for delivery, provision of education on a one-on-one basis, and in multiple sessions. Conclusion: These results highlight the need to redesign current heart failure patient education initiatives to enhance patient outcomes.

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery Patient Education: A Systematic Review

Patient education post-coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is an essential component of nursing care aimed at assisting patients in caring for themselves at home, following discharge from hospital. While there has been a recent interest in conducting meta-analysis and systematic reviews on the effectiveness of patient education during the preoperative period, no review was found on the topic of postoperative CABG patient education. This systematic review addressed the clinically-relevant questions: what approach, mode, and dose is most effective in producing changes in CABG patient education? Studies were included in the systematic review if they met the following selection criteria: (1) the sample represented adult (> or =18 years) patients who underwent CABG surgery; (2) the educational intervention involved the provision of self-care information following surgery but before discharge from hospital; (3) the outcome assessed related to self-care behavior; and (4) the study report was published in English between 1986 and 2008. A descriptive synthesis was used to code and extract data on publication information, study design, sample size, and quality of study, as well as postoperative CABG teaching, self-care behavior performance, and demographic characteristics of the patients who participated in the studies. A quantitative synthesis consisted of a statistical approach, which was used to calculate the magnitude of the treatment effects on self-care behavior. Results indicated larger effect sizes for CABG patient education in which the content was individualized, and given in a combination of media on an individual basis, and in more than one session.

Timing for Delivering Individualized Patient Education Intervention to Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients: An RCT

Background: The primary focus of this study is on the timing of the delivery of education to patients who had CABG surgery. Aim: To determine the efficacy of an individualized telephone patient education intervention, delivered at two different points in time (1–2 days pre-discharge versus 1–2 days post-discharge) in enhancing the CABG patients knowledge of self-care behaviours, performance of self-care behaviours, and symptom frequency. Method: A randomized clinical trial that included a convenience sample of first time CABG patients. Individuals who received education pre-discharge were compared to individuals who received education post-discharge on the outcomes. Results: Results indicated no statistically significant difference in outcomes between the two time points. As well, anxiety levels were found to be significantly higher in the pre-discharge group than the post-discharge group. Conclusions: The individualized nature of the educational intervention may have accounted for non-significant findings reported in outcomes between the two time points. Practice implications: Nurses may consider assessing anxiety levels prior to delivery of educational interventions, implement interventions aimed at reducing anxiety levels, and provide individualized teaching.

Anxiety, depression, and self-management: a systematic review.

The purpose of this article was to address the clinically relevant question: In the presence of anxiety and/or depression, do patients who have had heart surgery engage in self-management behaviors following hospital discharge? A systematic review of 16 studies that examined the psychological condition of patients who had coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) and/or valvular replacement surgery was conducted. Moderate to severe levels of anxiety and depression exist during the first month of home recovery and appear to have an effect on performance of self-management behaviors. As the influence of patients’ psychological condition is continued to be examined, it is imperative for health care providers to manage increased rates of anxiety and/or depression following heart surgery. Music and relaxation therapy are presented as evidenced based recommendations for managing anxiety and depression in patients following heart surgery.

Educational Intervention Reduces Complications and Rehospitalizations After Heart Surgery

The effectiveness of in-hospital self-care patient education, delivered to patients following heart surgery, is questionable, as evidence indicates individuals are not able to absorb and/or retain information at this time. In the absence of adequate instruction, individuals will not have the relevant information to engage in specific self-care behaviors, resulting in the onset of complications and/or hospital readmissions. The purpose of this pilot study was to collect preliminary evidence to demonstrate the impact of an individualized education intervention given above and beyond usual care, delivered, at two points in time, following hospital discharge. A randomized controlled trial was used in which 34 patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Chi-square analyses to examine differences between groups on complications and hospital readmission rates were conducted. Findings point to the impact of the intervention in reducing the number of hospital readmissions and complications at 3 months following hospital discharge.

A cyborg ontology in health care: traversing into the liminal space between technology and person-centred practice

Person-centred practice indubitably seems to be the antithesis of technology. The ostensible polarity of technology and person-centred practice is an easy road to travel down and in their various forms has been probably travelled for decades if not centuries. By forging ahead or enduring these dualisms, we continue to approach and recede, but never encounter the elusive and the liminal space between technology and person-centred practice. Inspired by Haraways work, we argue that healthcare practitioners who critically consider their cyborg ontology may begin the process to initiate and complicate the liminal and sought after space between technology and person-centred practice. In this paper, we draw upon Haraways idea that we are all materially and ontologically cyborgs. Cyborgs, the hybridity of machine and human, are part of our social reality and embedded in our everyday existence. By considering our cyborg ontology, we suggest that person-centred practice can be actualized in the contextualized, embodied and relational spaces of technology. It is not a question of espousing technology or person-centred practice. Such dualisms have been historically produced and reproduced over many decades and prevented us from recognizing our own cyborg ontology. Rather, it is salient that we take notice of our own cyborg ontology and how technological, habitual ways of being may prevent (and facilitate) us to recognize the embodied and contextualized experiences of patients. A disruption and engagement with the habitual can ensure we are not governed by technology in our logics and practices of care and can move us to a conscious and critical integration of person-centred practice in the technologized care environments. By acknowledging ourselves as cyborgs, we can recapture and preserve our humanness as caregivers, as well as thrive as we proceed in our technological way of being.Person-centred practice indubitably seems to be the antithesis of technology. The ostensible polarity of technology and person-centred practice is an easy road to travel down and in their various forms has been probably travelled for decades if not centuries. By forging ahead or enduring these dualisms, we continue to approach and recede, but never encounter the elusive and the liminal space between technology and person-centred practice. Inspired by Haraways work, we argue that healthcare practitioners who critically consider their cyborg ontology may begin the process to initiate and complicate the liminal and sought after space between technology and person-centred practice. In this paper, we draw upon Haraways idea that we are all materially and ontologically cyborgs. Cyborgs, the hybridity of machine and human, are part of our social reality and embedded in our everyday existence. By considering our cyborg ontology, we suggest that person-centred practice can be actualized in the contextualized, embodied and relational spaces of technology. It is not a question of espousing technology or person-centred practice. Such dualisms have been historically produced and reproduced over many decades and prevented us from recognizing our own cyborg ontology. Rather, it is salient that we take notice of our own cyborg ontology and how technological, habitual ways of being may prevent (and facilitate) us to recognize the embodied and contextualized experiences of patients. A disruption and engagement with the habitual can ensure we are not governed by technology in our logics and practices of care and can move us to a conscious and critical integration of person-centred practice in the technologized care environments. By acknowledging ourselves as cyborgs, we can recapture and preserve our humanness as caregivers, as well as thrive as we proceed in our technological way of being.

Discussion of patient-centered care in health care organizations.

The tradition of inherent knowledge and power of health care providers stands in stark contrast to the principles of self-determination and patient participation in patient-centered care. At the organizational level, patient-centered care is a merging of patient education, self-care, and evidence-based models of practice and consists of 4 broad domains of intervention including communication, partnerships, health promotion, and physical care. As a result of the unexamined discourse of knowledge and power in health care, the possibilities of patient-centered care have not been fully achieved. In this article, we used a critical social theory lens to examine the discursive influence of power upon the integration of patient-centered care into health care organizations. We begin with an overview of patient-centered care, followed by a discussion of the various ways that it has been introduced into health care organizations. We proceed by deconstructing the inherent power and knowledge of health care providers and shed light on how these long-standing traditions have impeded the integration of patient-centered care. We conclude with a discussion of viable solutions that can be used to implement patient-centered care into health care organizations. This article presents a perspective through which the integration of patient-centered care into health organizations can be examined.

Patient Demographics and Learning Needs: Examination of Relationship

Background: Limited research has examined differences in patients’ learning needs in relation to demographic characteristics, such as age, gender, level of education, and culture. Yet such knowledge is essential to develop postoperative educational interventions that are tailored to patients’ needs. Study purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between learning needs and the demographic characteristics of patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Method: A descriptive design was used.The sample of convenience included 38 patients who met eligibility criteria. Major results: Statistically significant relationships were found between the patients’ age, gender, and cultural background, and learning needs (p < .05) and not between the learning needs and level of education. Application: These preliminary highlight the importance of attending to learning needs of patients with different backgrounds in order to improve self-management following CABG surgery.

A Systematic Review of Web-Based Educational Interventions

A complement to in-hospital educational interventions is web-based patient education accessed during the home recovery period. While findings demonstrate the effectiveness of web-based patient education interventions on patient outcomes, they fall short of identifying the characteristics that are associated with desired outcomes. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the characteristics of web-based patient education interventions that are associated with producing changes in self-care behaviors. A systematic review involving 19 studies was conducted to determine the most effective components of a web-based intervention. Findings suggest that the most effective form of web-based patient education is one that is interactive and allows patients to navigate the online system on their own. The findings from this systematic review allow for the design of a web-based educational intervention that will promote increased performance of self-care behaviors during the home recovery period.