Perceived learning needs of patients with coronary artery disease using a questionnaire assessment tool

OBJECTIVE: To determine the perceived learning needs and their level of importance in patients with angina pectoris or myocardial infarction at hospitalization and follow-up clinic visit and to assess the reliability of a self-administered questionnaire. : Longitudinal, exploratory. G: West Coast university-affiliated medical center and clinics that serve primarily a veteran population. TS: Twenty-eight adults who were admitted with a diagnosis of angina pectoris or myocardial infarction. Age range was 31 to 80 years (mean 61 years). E MEASURES: Learning needs, questionnaire. ENTION: Data collection was initiated at hospitalization and continued at the first clinic visit after discharge. A self-administered questionnaire and personal data sheet were completed by the patients. S: Matched-pair t-tests and Pearsonʹs correlation were used for data analysis. No statistical differences were demonstrated between learning needs at hospitalization and clinic visit. Three content areas including symptom recognition, cardiac anatomy and physiology, and medications were ranked as the most important learning needs of patients at hospitalization and follow-up clinic visit. The least important learning needs at both times were content areas of smoking, work, and sex. No correlation was found between the importance of perceived learning needs and age, occupation, smoking, and marital status. The questionnaire contains 38 items and is self-administered. It was developed on the basis of a previous tool and preliminary study results. Content and validity were supported by clinical experts. The internal consistency reliability alpha coefficients of the questionnaire were 0.96 at hospitalization and 0.93 at the clinic visit. SIONS: The findings of this study suggest that the most important perceived learning needs of patients at hospitalization and follow-up clinic visit are those that affect survival. A self-administered questionnaire can be used as a practical and reliable tool to determine the perceived learning needs of patients with coronary artery disease during the recovery phase of illness. Cardiac educational programs for patients with coronary artery disease can focus on the content areas that patients consider most important.