The purpose of the present study was to test the theoretical relationship of the concepts of informational support and threat appraisal with a sample of surgical cardiac patients twenty-four hours after discharge from the hospital. These discharged patients were adjusting to the transition of hospital to home environment while still recovering from a life threatening illness. They may need varying informational supports to reduce their threat perception of the magnitude of the illness. A convenience sample of thirty-six surgical cardiac patients was assigned to three groups. The groups received the standard discharge preparation as stated by the hospitals' policy and procedure manual. The experimental group received a supportive and informational telephone call approximately twenty-four hours after discharge. The second group was the placebo group, these participants were given a telephone call at the end of the twenty-four hours to remind them to return the questionnaire. The third group was the control group, received no telephone call and were instructed to complete the questionnaire at the specified time. All groups were instructed at the time of initial contact to complete the questionnaire at approximately the end of the first twenty-four hours after discharge. The placebo group and control group were then pooled for data analysis due to the low return rate of the two groups. The two groups were compared with a t-test. The demographic data compared age and educational level to the perceived level of threat. Reliability of the tool was determined using a Cronbach's Alpha. / School of Nursing
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/184072 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Pangallo, Georgianne |
| Contributors | Ball State University. School of Nursing., Hodson, Kay E. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | 79 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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