THE DEVELOPMENT OF A TELEPHONE FOLLOW-UP INTERVENTION FOR ADULT PATIENTS AFTER CARDIAC SURGERY

Abstract

Hospital re-admission among adult patients after cardiac surgery remains high with an estimated rate of 18.7% in the United States and in Canada. This results in additional financial burden to healthcare and poor patient experience in hospitals. Although there are limited studies that demonstrate the benefits of a telephone follow-up after cardiac surgery, this intervention can potentially mitigate hospital re-admissions and promote a positive patient transition from hospital to home. The main purpose of this quality improvement (QI) project was to develop a telephone follow-up intervention for adult patients after cardiac surgery after hospital discharge. An integrated literature review and key stakeholder consultations through key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used as the methodologies for this project. The telephone follow-up intervention was designed for patients, who meet one of the 10 inclusion criteria determining their eligibility for the intervention. Ten days post-hospital discharge a registered nurse (RN) will call patients at home via telephone to assess their breathing, incisions, and presence of symptoms of common post-operative complications from cardiac surgery. To facilitate the application of this project, a Telephone Follow-up Toolkit and a Telephone Follow-up Intervention after Cardiac Surgery form were developed for the nurses involved in this project. The implementation of a telephone follow-up intervention in cardiac surgery represents a promising strategy to prevent hospital re-admissions and post-operative complications, as well as promote smooth transitions from hospital to home of adult patients after cardiac surgery.