The demand for discharge preparation services for patients readmitted to hospital with chronic heart failure-a qualitative research / 中国实用护理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:The aim was to explore the needs of patients readmitted with chronic heart failure (CHF) for pre-discharge preparation services and to provide reliable evidence to support the development of a discharge preparation service plan.Methods:The research was based on the phenomenology research method. Using a purposive sampling method, 12 readmitted patients with CHF from the First Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were selected and interviewed in a semi-structured manner between February and April 2023, and the data were analyzed using the Colaizzi seven-step analysis.Results:Among 12 patients, 6 males, 6 females, aged 53 to 85 years old. The discharge preparation service needs of readmitted patients with CHF can be categorised into 3 major themes of physiological-psychological-social, containing 6 sub-themes: the need to improve self-management skills, the need for rehabilitation and exercise, the need for improvement of negative emotions, the need for improvement of health education, the need for improvement of home care, and the need for health resource services.Conclusions:Patients readmitted with CHF have greater needs for self-management knowledge and skills, family care needs, professional guidance needs, and information on referral services from primary health resources, and nursing staff should focus on assessing such needs of patients in order to develop individualized plans for discharge preparation services for patients with CHF.