The Effect of Unpleasant Symptom Management Program on Functional Status in Post Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients

Abstract

This quasi-experimental research aimed to study the effective functional status of patients who have post-operative coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery by comparing strategies between applying Unpleasant Symptom Management Program and providing routine nursing care. The subjects were patients who were admitted in Thammasat University hospital for CABG surgery. These subjects were arranged into a control group, and an experimental group which in each group had 22 subjects. These two groups were
similar in sex, age and left ventricular ejection fraction. The control group was received routine nursing care, whereas the experimental group was provided the Unpleasant Symptom Management Program along with routine nursing care. This program was developed, based on Dodd’s Symptom Management Conceptual Model and
literatures review. According to the program, it includes provisions of knowledge, demonstration, reveses demonstration, and management unpleasant symptom strategies were included. This program was validated by a panel of experts with content validity index at 1.0. In addition, research assessment’s tools contained reliable test of knowledge and survey of unpleasant symptoms in post-operative of CABG surgery.This test was assessed by applying KR-20 with a result at 0.80. The survey also was verified by five experts and evaluated by using of Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient method which had consequence at 0.92. Moreover, data were collected from personal characteristic and 6-minute walk test form. This fact was analyzed again by five experts with content validity index appear at 1.0. The data were analyzed using percentage, means,standard deviation, and t-test.

This study shows that the functional status in post-operative CABG patients in experimental group was significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.05). It means that the Unpleasant Symptom Management Program can assist reducing unpleasant symptoms, and promoting health and well being for the patients. Hence, this program should keep continuously applying and adapting so that it can be suitable in nursing care for patients who undergo CABG surgery in each clinical settings.