Perioperative Education Of Patient Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

In recent years, the number of patients undergoing cardiac surgeries is steadily increasing. In Greece, approximately 10,500 patients per year are admitted to some kind of cardiac operation. Constant evolution of heart surgery techniques calls for adaptation of the perioperative nursing care given. Patient education, as an important part of the perioperative care, is directly related to the reduction of postoperative complications and stress management, thus promoting the patient's overall postoperative well-being. Aim: The aim of this review was to present the most important aspects of the patient's perioperative education and the role that the nurse has to play in it. Methods: Data from selected articles were extracted from Pubmed, Chinahl and Cohrane, as well as from non-electronically published scientific studies ranging from 1998-2010 and 2003-2008 respectively. Results: According to the literature, perioperative patient education can be implemented in various ways, such as through verbal updates, the use of audiovisual means and the provision of informative leaflets. The teaching topics can be divided into those of the preoperative and postoperative phase. Stress management prepares the patients psychologically and also enhances the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship. The teaching of breathing techniques and isometric exercises of the lower limbs, the cessation of smoking, the diet to be followed, as well as the management of medication, aim in the patients' physical preparation, in order to optimize their postoperative course. Conclusion: Perioperative patient education, regardless of how it is implemented, constitutes both an integral part of the nursing care and an independent nursing intervention per se, which strengthens the nurses' autonomy and improves the patient's postoperative course

Keywords: Patient education, nursing education, cardiac surgery, perioperative care