Discharge Planning After Myocardial Revascularization: Differences in Opinions From Patients and Health Experts.

Background: In-hospital education and discharge planning contribute to recovery after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify differences in perception of the importance of discharge instructions between a sample of adult patients after CABG and health experts responsible for their care.

Methods: Thirty-five first-time CABG adult patients and 8 multidisciplinary experts rated a 46-item questionnaire of discharge education themes on a 3-point scale. Items were classified as most important if rated as "very important" by more than 85% of the participants in each group.

Results: Of the 31 items considered most important (reaching the 85% approval criteria), agreement between groups was reached for 15 (48%), whereas 11 (35%) items were selected only by the patients and 5 (16%) were selected only by the experts.

Conclusions: The authors of this study demonstrate a difference in perception between patients and health experts regarding the importance of various discharge instructions. Better understanding areas of patient concern may improve discharge routines.