ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Open-heart surgery is considered one of the primary treatments for severe coronary artery stenosis, but it comes with its own set of complications. However, these complications can be reduced through the implementation of proper cardiac rehabilitation during phase I. This study aimed to examine the impact of phase I cardiac rehabilitation training, using augmented reality, on the self-efficacy of cardiac management in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. METHODOLOGY: This randomized clinical trial study involved 60 patients who were admitted to the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit at Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad. The software used in this study consisted of various videos and educational images demonstrating physical exercises for cardiac rehabilitation. The software was developed to train the patients in the intervention group on the rehabilitation program, starting from their admission to the Intensive Care Unit until their discharge from the hospital. The collected data were analyzed using statistical tests such as independent t-test, Mann-Whitney test, paired t-test, chi-square test, as well as descriptive indicators. Cohen's d was also used to evaluate the magnitude of the effect size. RESULTS: The findings of this study revealed that the total mean score for cardiovascular management self-efficacy significantly increased during the transfer to the Intensive Care Unit and at the time of discharge. Notably, the increase observed in the intervention group was significantly greater than that of the control group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that implementing early rehabilitation programs, using innovative educational technology like augmented reality, enhanced the self-efficacy of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. These findings suggest that such programs can be effectively employed as educational tools throughout different stages of cardiac rehabilitation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (no. IRCT20200203046361N1) on 16/02/2020.