Patterns of patient coping following hospital discharge from medical and surgical units: A pilot study

Abstract

A pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility of a longitudinal investigation of patients' coping during the early postdischarge period. Recruitment was conducted on a general medical unit and a surgical orthopedic unit. Forty‐four participants were recruited with 95% retention. Demographic characteristics plus measures of discharge risk and perceived readiness (expected coping) were collected before discharge. Measures of coping (experienced) and the use of supports and services were collected on the first day postdischarge, the end of the first week, and during weeks 3 and 5. Considerable variability was evident in coping scores, and not all participants exhibited improvement over time. Four patterns of coping were identified: ongoing recovery, initial shock, bumpy road, and progressive decline. Further investigation is required to validate the observed coping patterns. A better understanding of conditions affecting patient coping during the transition from hospital to home will support efforts to reduce unplanned use of acute care services.

Nurse‐led counseling for coronary artery disease patients: A 1‐year follow‐up study

“…The effect of the disease on everyday lives and how to control the disease should be explored with every patient (Sigurdardottir et al, 2017). Traditionally, patients have received counseling for their disease and support for self‐management from nurses and physicians during hospitalization and discharge (Hall et al, 2017; Hodgins et al, 2020; Katz et al, 2017; Noureddine et al, 2020). In recent years, CAD treatment and examination methods have developed and hospital stays have shortened (Khaled et al, 2020; Szummer et al, 2018; Taxiarchi et al, 2020).…”

“…In the acute phase of disease, however, patients are unable to receive and reflect on all given counseling. They feel the discharge process to be challenging (Hodgins et al, 2020), because they struggle to understand their new context of living with CAD (Fålun et al, 2016). Therefore, patient counseling in the acute phase should focus on coping in everyday life and with alarming symptoms.…”