Post-Discharge learning needs of General Surgery patients

Objective: To determine whether the post discharge information needs of general surgical patients were fulfilled according to the Patient Learning Needs Scale (PLNS). Methodology: This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted on patients in General Surgery Department of a university medical center in Malatya, Turkey. The sample included 90 patients. Data were accumulated using by Patient Information Form and PLNS, between January-February, 2010. Results: The PLNS mean total score of patients was 196.99±36.14 with an importance level of 3.94 were found to be very important for patients learning needs. Before discharge, 50% of patients did not have sufficient information about their discharge. Physicians supplied 43.3% of discharge information whereas nurses supplied 15.6% of such information. Female patients’ mean total score was statistically significantly higher than that of male patients (p 0.05). Conclusions: Results of this study showed that participants had significantly high needs for discharge education concerning home care after discharge. Results suggest a need for implementation of enhanced patient education needs in meeting.