Methods: Forty-five patients, (32 males, 13 females; mean age 58.1 years; range 18 to 65 years) who underwent open heart surgery at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of Cumhuriyet University Research and Training Hospital between 31 March and 31 September 2005 were enrolled in this descriptive study. Data were collected by means of a “Patient Information Form” and the “Home-care Needs Form” prepared by using FHP model in 2005.

Results: Seventy-three percent of patients were married and 44.4% lived with their spouses and children. Sixty-eight point nine percent of the subjects were primary school graduates and 60% were retired. One week after their discharge, according to functional health patterns, 95.6% had problems with nutrition, 86.7% with excretion, 100.0% with exercising, 88.9% with physiologic patterns like sleep. A hundred percent of the subjects had problems with cognition and perception, 55% with self-perception, 80% with roles and relationships, 64.5% with sexuality, 100% with stress management and tolerance of stress, and 33.3% with values and beliefs. Six weeks after their discharge, patients reported that their problems related to feeding, self-perception and sexuality increased but other problems decreased. They also noted that the information provided by the health staff was insufficient and that during the first and the sixth weeks after their discharge they still needed assistance of the health staff to overcome the problems they encountered at home.

Conclusion: It was determined that although the problems experienced within one week after discharge decreased, new problems arose six weeks after discharge and the patients needed assistance of health staff at home to deal with these problems.