The role of nursing education after a cardiac event

Background: After a major cardiovascular event, patients experience many problems regarding the outcome of the disease or rehabilitation including concern about return in their previous life. Recovering from a cardiac event is a complex procedure that presents psychological and physical needs that continue after discharge from hospital. The purpose of this review was to explore the role of nursing education after a cardiac event or procedure. Material and Methods: Studies published in English between 2002 and 2011 were selected through a computer-assisted literature search (i.e., Pubmed http://igm.nlm.nih.gov, and Scopus www.scopus.com). The computer searches used combinations of key words relating to the role of nursing (i.e., nursing support, nursing training, nursing education, coronary artery disease) and cardiac rehabilitation. Results: Many studies have highlighted the value of nursing support in cardiac rehabilitation programs. In particular, there is an amount of evidence that a nurseled educational program is closely associated with reduce rate of complications, of anxiety following cardiac events and readmissions to hospital. Moreover, the therapeutic lifestyle-change intervention into a nursing program effectively modifies cardiac risk factors and may improve prognosis. Conclusion: The benefits of nursing support in cardiac rehabilitation patients can improve health outcomes and reduce the risk of a new cardiac event. It is of most importance for nurses to meet the rehabilitative care needs of patients through education, support, supervision and reinforcement.