Determining the educational requirements of the patients with open-heart surgery

This study, which is carried out to determine the learning needs of the patients with open-heart surgery, it is descriptive type. This study is carried out in hospitals, which belong to a foundation university, in three different cities between February 15 and July 1. Study samples consist of 238 patients who had open-heart surgery. The data are collected with a patient identification form, which is created by the researcher, and Patient Learning Needs Scale (PNLP). The data are transferred to SPSS 16.0 programme and tests are used parametrically and non-parametrically according to descriptive (mean, percent) data specifications. 48.7% of the patients had heart valve surgery, 45.8% had coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) and 5.5% had both surgeries. It is determined that mean PNLP total item score of the patients are 222±26.36 and mean score received from subscales change between 21.28±2.65 and 40.68±4.65. The highest mean score among patients? mean PNLP subscale score are ?treatment and complications?, ?quality of life? and ?medication? subscales respectively. The lowest score is received ?emotions regarding the situation? and ?society and monitoring? subscales. Having score from all subscales take place between ?very important? and ?extremely important? categories according to likert structure of the scale. With this case, it is determined that patients? educational requirements are high for total and subscales. Difference between scores that the patients had from PNLP is found significant according to hospitals, income and expenditure states, professions, surgery type and if they received discharge education or not. It is recommended that the existing discharge education contents are reviewed taking these results into consideration and the discharge education is planned in order to increase education efficiency considering patient characteristics, requirements and education methods that are proper for patient.