Postoperative discharges teaching and follow-up are important services which can prevent unnecessary
delays in discharge and assure the accessibility of adequate support afterward. Aim of the study was to evaluate
the effectiveness of discharge educational program on quality of life and post- operative complications for children
after cardiac surgery. Setting: The study was conducted at the cardiac surgery ward at Bahteem hospital affiliated
to Ministry of Health in Bahteem city. Design: A quasi- experimental design was used to achieve the goal of this
study. Subjects: 80 children accompanying their mothers were selected purposively and divided equally into study
and control groups. Tools of data collection: Five tools were utilized; personal and medical data assessment sheets,
knowledge assessment questionnaire, pediatric cardiac specific quality of life formats, pediatric quality of life scale
and post-operative complications assessment sheet. Results: There was a highly statistical significant difference
between study and control groups regarding total level of mother's knowledge (p˂0.001).The total quality of life
and total cardiac specific quality of life for children was not significant between the two groups before discharge
education (p= 0.306 & 0.423) respectively, but after discharge education, a significant difference was observed
between the two groups at one month and three months of program implementation (p˂0.000). Besides, postoperative
complications were significantly lower for children in the study group at one month and three months of
program implementation than in the control group (p˂0.000). Conclusion: Based on the results of the current
study, it can be concluded that, the discharge program plays an important role in increasing mother's knowledge,
improving children's quality of life and decreasing post-operative complications. Recommendation: All children
scheduled for cardiac surgery and their families are in need to an adequate knowledge and self-care skills to
improve short and long-term outcomes after discharge. |
