Reducing Early Readmissions After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Through Smartphone-Delivered Video-Based Discharge Education

Background: Over 900,000 percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) are performed annually in the United States; however, gaps in discharge education persist. Inadequate teaching contributes to early readmissions, with up to 19% of readmissions occurring within 30 days. Video-based education has been associated with improved comprehension, but its role in PCI discharge teaching has not been established. Objective: The investigators evaluated whether leveraging smartphone technology to deliver video-based discharge education alongside standard post-PCI instructions reduced hospital readmissions. Secondary outcomes were improved patient knowledge, satisfaction, medication adherence, lifestyle changes, and cardiac rehabilitation participation. Methods: This study was conducted at a 705-bed academic medical center between May and August 2025 and included 81 patients who underwent PCI (40 standard education and 41 smartphone video group). The sample was 80.2% male (n = 65) and 19.8% female (n = 16), with a mean age of 69.2 years. All patients received written materials. The intervention group viewed 8 videos on their smartphones before discharge. Collected data included demographics, knowledge assessments, satisfaction surveys, 14-day follow-up adherence assessments, and 30-day readmission reviews. Results: The smartphone video group demonstrated lower 14-day hospitalization rates (0% vs. 15.4%, P = .01), 30-day readmissions (5% vs. 20%, P = .04), higher medication adherence (97.5% vs. 74.4%, P = .03), better understanding of instructions ( P = .04), and increased dietary modifications ( P = .04). Patient knowledge scores, cardiac rehabilitation enrollment, and satisfaction rates were similar. Conclusions: Videos accessed via smartphone technology are a practical, patient-centered adjunct to PCI discharge teaching that improve self-management behaviors and reduce early readmissions.