Background: This investigation aimed to determine the effect of planned discharge training given to patients who underwent heart valve replacement operations on information level, self care capacity, and the problems that may be experienced after discharge.

Methods: Eighty patients, (42 males, 38 females; mean age 49.2 years; range 20 to 65 years) who underwent heart valve replacement operation in the cardiovascular surgery clinic of a training-research hospital between 25 June and 19 December 2007 were enrolled in this semi-experimental study. Forty patients (25 males, 15 females) were allocated to the study group and 40 patients (17 males, 23 females) to the control group. The patients in the study group were given discharge training in line with a training plan, and a training booklet prepared by the investigator was distributed to them. The patients in the control group were given routine training by the attending nurse.

Results: Mean scores of information and self care were found to be higher in the study group than in the control group. It was also established that patients in the control group experienced problems of ‘fatigue, weakness, tiredness’ and ‘bleeding gums’ to a higher degree than the study group (p<0.05). Although the difference was not statistically significant at this time (p>0.05), patients in the control group stated that they experienced problems such as nausea/vomiting, palpitations, fever, sleeplessness, and epistaxis more commonly.

Conclusion: It was established that discharge training was effective in that it enabled the patients to have a higher level of information and self care, to carry out their own care, and to encounter fewer problems after discharge.

Keywords : Discharge training; heart failure/epidemiology/etiology/therapy; heart valve surgery; self care