THE EFFECT OF POST-DISCHARGE TELEPHONE FOLLOW-UP (TELENURSING) ON SYMPTOMS, COMPLICATIONS, AND READMISSION OF PATIENTS AFTER CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFT SURGERY IN HAMADAN

Background & Aims: One of the methods of training in nursing is telenursing. The most common use of telenursing is for home care. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of telephone follow-up after discharge on symptoms, complications, and readmission in the patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery in Hamadan. Materials & Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed in 2019 on 70 patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery in Farshchian Heart Hospital in Hamadan, Iran. Patients were divided into two groups of 35 and they were labeled as intervention and control groups based on random blocking. Patients in the intervention group received telephone calls weekly for up to 4 weeks. The follow-ups included postoperative symptoms and complication checking through questionnaires; additionally, necessary training instructions were given. Research tools included a demographic information checklist, readmission, and a cardiac symptom survey. Data were analyzed by SPSS 16 software, and descriptive statistical tests, paired t-test, and Mann-Whitney test were used for data analysis. Results: The results showed that there was a statistically significant decrease in symptoms and complications in the experimental group at the end of the fourth week (p <0.001). Also, there was no significant difference in symptoms and complications in the experimental and control groups after one month, despite the decrease in the mean score in the experimental group (p <0.05). There was no significant difference in postoperative readmission between the two groups, but the findings of the study showed that patients in the control group were hospitalized longer to improve the complications. Conclusion: Post-discharge telephone follow-up is effective in reducing the incidence of postoperative symptoms and complications of the coronary artery bypass grafting and it is recommended to use telephone follow-up as one of the training methods to provide services to patients.