The effects of preoperative preparation of patients and family caregivers on outcomes after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG): A non-randomized clinical trial

This study aimed to examine the effects of preoperative preparation of patients and family caregivers on outcomes after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).

Preoperative preparation can improve patients’ experience of surgery and hospitalization. However, there is limited data about how preoperative preparation affects postoperative outcomes following CABG.

This non-randomized clinical trial was conducted on ninety pairs of patient/ caregiver in the time period from July to November 2018. The participants were purposively selected and non-randomly allocated to either control or experimental group. The intervention was performed one day after admission and the day before CABG in the form of an educational video, an intensive care unit tour, and an educational booklet. In both groups, on the third day after surgery, patients' delirium was assessed in the ICU and family caregivers were asked to complete a family satisfaction questionnaire. Patients and their family caregivers in both groups completed a hospital anxiety and depression questionnaire (HADS) on the first and seventh days after surgery and before discharge. Data were analyzed in SPSS version 16.0 using descriptive and inferential statistics. 

After intervention, the mean score of patients’ anxiety and depression in the intervention group was significantly less than the control group (P=0.03). After intervention, the mean score of anxiety and depression among family caregivers in the control and experimental groups were not significantly different (P=0.11). Family caregivers’ satisfaction of experimental group was significantly higher than the control group in both healthcare providers’ performance dimension (P=0.01) and comfort dimension (P=0.027). Moreover, the groups did not significantly differ from each other regarding delirium incidence (P=0.6) and length of stay in the intensive care unit (P=0.21).

Considering that the preparation of the patient and family caregiver on the day before CABG can reduce patients' anxiety and depression and increase the satisfaction of the family caregiver, it is recommended to use this intervention for patients and family caregivers before CABG.