Patients' expectations and experiences of provided surgery‐related patient education: A descriptive longitudinal study

Abstract

Aims The aim of this study was to explore the educational expectations and experiences of surgical patients. Design Prospective, longitudinal, descriptive and two‐centre study. Data were collected with questionnaires at the hospital and 6 weeks and 6 months postsurgery. Methods Patients undergoing elective surgery and hospitalized overnight from January to July 2016 answered questions about the content of received pre‐operative and pre‐discharge education, topics they wanted more information on, sources of information, satisfaction with and usefulness of the information and if their recovery was as expected. Results Patients ( N = 697, 49% male, mean age 64.1 [ SD 12.6] years) perceived the provided education as useful and satisfactory but less so after discharge. Most common topics which they expected more education about were postoperative complications, pain management, fatigue, lack of stamina and expected recovery time. Most patients received information through face‐to‐face teaching (79.7%) and in writing (78.4%). Expectations on recovery were related to patients' satisfaction with the education and how useful they evaluated it.

Reduced Readmission and Increased Patient Satisfaction in Post–Cardiac Arrhythmia Ablation

“…Improved 30-day readmission rates post–cardiac arrhythmia ablation procedure were observed on the basis of the significantly lower 30-day readmission rate in the intervention group than in the control group that did not receive the educational intervention. This pilot study supports findings in the literature that had shown a reduction in 30-day postsurgical readmission rates with implementation of increased patient education 25. Support for use of the phone call as a method for delivering the enhanced education intervention evolved from studies showing that the most vulnerable period postoperatively for readmission is 24 to 72 hours after discharge27 and that implementation of a phone call during this time period to assess patients' knowledge and needs during this acute discharge period can prevent unnecessary readmissions 28…”

“…This study shows that diagnosis-specific discharge instruction positively impacts patient satisfaction, which is a measure of quality of care. These findings support knowledge described in the literature that successful patient education interventions such as this are linked to higher rates of patient satisfaction 24,25. It is also important to note that calls in this study were made by the NP and literature has shown that compared with physicians, NPs place greater emphasis on symptom identification and are more likely to advise and schedule follow-up appointments 26…”

“…These findings support knowledge described in the literature that successful patient education interventions such as this are linked to higher rates of patient satisfaction. 24,25 It is also important to note that calls in this study were made by the NP and literature has shown that compared with physicians, NPs place greater emphasis on symptom identification and are more likely to advise and schedule follow-up appointments. 26 Improved 30-day readmission rates postcardiac arrhythmia ablation procedure observed on the basis of the significantly lower 30-day readmission rate in the intervention group than in the control group that did not receive the educational intervention.…”

“…This pilot study supports findings in the literature that had shown a reduction in 30-day postsurgical readmission rates with implementation of increased patient education. 25 Support for use of the phone call as a method for delivering the enhanced education intervention evolved from studies showing that the most vulnerable period postoperatively for readmission is 24 to 72 hours after discharge 27 and that implementation of a phone call during this time period to assess patients' knowledge and needs during this acute discharge period can prevent unnecessary readmissions. 28 Lack of thoroughness of information regarding self-care at home and detail of the discharge instructions was noted as a significant barrier in both the control and intervention groups.…”

Educational quality of YouTube content on brachial plexus injury and treatment

“…Due to the relative novelty of these techniques, there exists a plethora of validated literature for surgeons to review, but not for patients about to undergo BPI surgery. Patient education plays a significant role in this context, as patients need knowledge to make health-related decisions and manage their health, before and after the surgery, for optimal recovery (Blondal et al, 2022).…”