Background: Preoperative education is a common feature of the preparation for many surgical procedures. It is anticipated that this education will results in beneficial outcomes for the patient. Comprehensive preoperative education for cardiac surgery patients sets the stage for reducing patients’ anxiety, increasing their perception of postoperative pain, shortening the length of their stays, and improving their satisfaction with healthcare. Investing the time in preparing cardiac surgery patients preoperatively; enhances the consistency of information given, assists in eliminating information gaps, and prevents postoperative complications. Foreground: Patients facing cardiac surgery are vulnerable due to their multiple stressors, possible co-morbidities, and of courses their cardiac history. Sought out after the results of patient satisfaction surveys was to provide formal preoperative education for cardiac surgery patients by investing in the impact, improvability, and inclusiveness for preoperative cardiac surgery education. Methods: Providing a formal preoperative education to patients eliminates education process gaps, permitting staff to identify opportunities to improve hospital communication, satisfaction. Four approaches were addressed. First, have all cardiac nursing staff been educated in the formal preoperative education process? Next are patients provided with consistent, knowledgeable patient education prior to surgery to facilitate having minimal psychological complications postoperatively? Third, are patients provided with enhanced quality of preoperative education to increase insight, perception, and knowledge of the cardiac nursing staff related to cardiac teaching? Lastly, are patients provided with a well-established reputable preoperative cardiac surgery protocol for the hospital? Evidence-Based Practice Framework: The Iowa Model of Evidence-Based Practice to Promote Quality of Care was used to implement the practice change. It provides a systems or organization perspective. Benner’s “From Novice to Expert Philosophy” application to nursing of the Dreyfus Model of skill acquisition was incorporated to evaluate the nurses’ proficiency in educating patients and to assess additional education needs amd skills for members of the healthcare team involved in this process. Findings/Results: All cardiac nurses employees in units affected by cardiac nursing staff can reduce patients’ anxiety; decrease their perceptions of postoperative pain, shorten length of their stays, and improve their satisfaction with healthcare. Implemented was a well-established multidisciplinary preoperative education protocol. To accomplish this evidence-based preoperative practice change, the nursing staff was educated in a consistent formal process for the cardiac surgery population.
