Developing a health education comic book: the advantages of learning the behaviours of a target audience

The objective of this study was to determine the positive and negative coping mechanisms practiced by parents of paediatric inpatients and outpatients in order to prepare a health educational comic aimed at improving these response mechanisms. Data were collected from parents visiting general paediatric outpatient clinics or hospitalisation units, at a children's hospital in a metropolitan city. Data analysis was based on 258 completed surveys received from 308 (83.77%) respondents. Each parent completed a survey that included the Brief-COPE-Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced questionnaire that encompassed 14 subscales of positive and negative coping mechanisms. Parents used both positive and negative coping mechanisms in outpatient clinics and hospitalisation units. Scores involving negative coping mechanisms were increased and associated with the severity of a child's reason for visiting a children's hospital. The lowest scores were reported by parents whose children were seen at outpatient clinics, whereas the highest scores were reported by parents whose children were treated in critical care units. Learning about parents' coping mechanisms provided key information for preparing an electronic health education comic book (electronically distributed free of charge) and can be used to teach and promote the reinforcement of positive rather than negative coping mechanisms.

Clinical outcomes of a nurse-led post-discharge education program for heart-transplant recipients: A retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Advances in immunosuppressive therapeutics and medical technology have improved survival rates after heart transplantation. Although there is a rigorous schedule of outpatient visits and testing to detect early signs of rejection and other complications in the first year after transplantation, repeated unplanned readmissions of heart transplant recipients remains a challenge.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to compare the effects of specialized nurse-led discharge education, including continuous post-transplant education and counselling, on heart transplant recipients' clinical outcomes, with the effects of existing discharge education.

METHODS

Participants were 136 heart transplantation recipients at a university-affiliated hospital in South Korea from November 1, 1994, to November 30, 2018. Participants' electronic medical records were retrospectively analyzed. Participants were grouped according to usual care (n = 25), nurse-led program (n = 66), and nurse-led program with post-discharge education (n = 45). We assessed the number of outpatient visits with clinical problems and days to first unplanned rehospitalization within one year after transplantation.

RESULTS

The nurse-led program with post-discharge education was associated with significantly reduced outpatient visits with clinical problems, compared to usual care and the existing nurse-led program. We also found a significantly longer time until first unplanned rehospitalization in the nurse-led program with post-discharge education group, compared to the usual care group.

CONCLUSION

This study identified the heart transplantation-specialized nurse-led discharge and subsequent post-discharge education as an effective strategy for positive clinical outcomes within one year after heart transplantation.