Nurse-Led Education Improves Self-Management Knowledge in Cardiovascular Inpatients: A Quasi-experimental Study

Cardiovascular disease contributes significantly to global morbidity and repeated hospitalization. Many patients leave hospital ill-prepared to manage their condition independently, highlighting the need for structured predischarge education. Evidence supporting such interventions within Indonesian inpatient settings, however, remains scarce. This study evaluated whether a nurse-delivered educational intervention could enhance self-management knowledge among hospitalized cardiovascular patients before discharge. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, sixty patients at a cardiovascular center of public hospital in Padang, Indonesia were enrolled consecutively and divided equally into intervention and control groups (n = 30 each). Participants in the intervention group underwent two individualized 30-minute education sessions addressing disease understanding and self-care behaviors, supplemented with a take-home booklet, within the final two days of hospitalization. Controls received usual ward care. A 24-item validated instrument assessed knowledge at enrollment and upon program completion. Baseline self-management knowledge was lower in the intervention group than in the control group (33.33 ± 7.59 vs 39.56 ± 4.61). Following intervention, knowledge scores increased substantially in the intervention group (44.67 ± 4.68), whereas the control group (41.03 ± 4.64). The between group difference in improvement was statistically significant (mean difference = 9.867, t = 10.64, p < 0.001), with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 0.927). A concise, structured nurse-led program administered before discharge substantially enhanced cardiovascular patients' self-management knowledge. Incorporating such educational initiatives into standard predischarge nursing care is strongly recommended.