Discharge After Surgical Treatment: What do patients in Turkey want to know?

Abstract

The shortened length of stay in hospitals and the increased emphasis on health prevention and promotion makes patient education very important before discharge. The purpose of this study is determining information requirements and priorities of patients who underwent a surgical intervention regarding their home care prior to their discharge. It was found that post-discharge learning needs of the patients, when prioritized, were "medications", "treatment and complications", "quality of life", "skin care", "activities of living", "feelings related to condition", and "community and follow-up" and that information requirements varied depending on personal characteristics. In order for an efficient discharge training to be planned, it is necessary to take individual characteristics of patients into account and to determine their requirements in a proper way.