Effectiveness of a Health Education Program on Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients’ Knowledge in Surgical Specialty Hospital-Cardiac Center in Erbil City

Background and objective: Coronary Artery Bypass Graft is considered an important surgical procedure, and due to the lack of sufficient knowledge in CABG patients, it is necessary and vital to carry out interventions to improve the knowledge of patients. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the effect of a health education program on patients' knowledge. Methods: This study is a quasi-experimental conducted between 2021 and 2023. The population of the study sample consisted of patients who were admitted to the cardiac center hospital in Erbil city. The samples were divided into two groups by random allocation, each group of 100 people. Data collection was based on a researcher-made questionnaire including three socio-demographic, medical data of patients with CABG and knowledge related to CABG. The intervention consisted of 6 sessions, which included 2 sessions of general training for patients, and 4 sessions of training including physiological aspects, self-concept, reciprocal relations and the fulfillment of obligations. Results: The mean age in the control group is 56.63±9.74 and in the intervention group is 54.32±11.123. After the intervention, the mean knowledge score in the General Information, Risk Factor, Complication, Diagnosis, and Management of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting sections showed a significant increase among patients in the intervention group compared to the control group (P≤0.001). Results: The results showed that the mean overall awareness score in the intervention group at the beginning of the study is lower than the average awareness score after the intervention, and this mean difference is significant (P≤0.001). The mean overall knowledge score in the intervention group has a significant difference compared to the control group (0.001). Conclusion: Considering the important effects of the educational program on increasing knowledge about various aspects of coronary artery bypass graft, educational programs should be given more attention.