The fulfillment of discharge education content need among surgical patients

Introduction: After discharge, surgical patients have to deal with many problems. Discharge education was believed to be the solution to improve patients’ ability to deal with difficulties going home. This emphasizes the importance of exploring the fulfillment of discharge education content needs from the perspective of surgical patients in Vietnam and its related factors. We conduct this study to examine the fulfillment of discharge education content needs from surgical patients’ perspective and related factors. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital in Vietnam. Surgical patients older than 18 years of age were selected to complete the Quality of Discharge Teaching Scale (QDTS) within 4 hours before discharge. Results: Discharge content need was perceived as low with a score of 5.39 (SD = 2.64). Patients considered the quality of discharge content received as low quality with a score of 5.58 (SD = 2.14). Patients received more information about emotions and practices treatment and medication than their needed (p < 0.01). In contrast, they rated the received information about their emergency contact as lower than they expected (p < 0.001). Quality of discharge education delivery was perceived as moderate with a score of 7.53 (SD = 1.47). Inferential analysis showed that age (r = 0.17, p < 0.05) and length of hospital stay (r = 0.23, p < 0.01) were associated with content need. The type of surgery was related to the patient-perceived quality of the content received (F = 3.53, p < 0.01). Meanwhile, occupational status was related to how patients perceived the fulfillment of discharge content needs (t =-2.41, p < 0.05).Conclusion: Further research should include other factors including patients’ access to information, the background of knowledge, work experience in the social or healthcare field, depression, and anxiety which were not included in this study Key words: surgical patient, hospital discharge, adult education, perspective