Background: The success of treatment in Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) depends on the continuity of the care extended back home after discharge from the hospital. There exists a gap between information provided to the patient to the information which they expect at the time of discharge. The information needs assessment will help to sensitize the patient education and also will aid in enhancing the care at home.
Objective: This study was conducted to identify the information needs of patients suffering from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) prior to discharge from hospital.
Methods: A descriptive study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Navi Mumbai. 100 patients suffering from the first event of Acute Coronary Syndrome were included in the study by using purposive sampling method. Data were collected using the Modified Cardiac Patient Learning Needs Inventory (MCPLNI) and was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 software. The results: A total of 100 patients suffering from first event of ACS were interviewed to rate the pre-discharge information needs. The majority of the patients were from 51 – 60 years of age group and 78% were male. 42% of them educated up to high school. The analysis of the information needs revealed that the need for symptom management was rated as the most important need (x̅=21.56), followed by medication information (x̅=20.8) as well as etiology & risk factors (x̅=20.62).
Conclusion: It can be concluded that assessment of the information needs of the patients prior to giving discharge and providing a need based health education will help to have a positive change in the lifestyle of the patients and prevent further complications due to ACS.
