Information needs of elderly postsurgical cancer patients during the transition from hospital to home

Purpose: To describe information needs of elderly postsurgical cancer patie nts. Few reports have described learning needs of postsurgical cancer patie nts during the initial weeks after hospitalization. Responding to informati on needs during the transition to home is important for helping patients an d families to appropriately manage illness. Design: Descriptive, using records Kept for patients assigned to the experi mental group in a larger study completed in 1996. The sample was 148 Americ an patients surgically treated for a new diagnosis of prostate, breast, gas trointestinal, lung, or head and neck cancer. Information needs were identi fied from topics addressed by advanced practice nurses during 4-week episod es of home care. Methods: Content analysis of 3,280 statements of teaching interventions. Findings: Teaching themes were instructing on postoperative self-care, advi sing on symptom management, clarifying the illness experience, discussing p sychological responses, and preparing patients and families to coordinate f ollow-up care. Topics included describing the expected course of illness, i nforming about community resources, identifying events that require physici an notification, and advising on pain management. Topic emphasis varied by site of cancer. Conclusions: Information needs of elderly postsurgical cancer patients duri ng transition from hospital to home are extensive. Teaching interventions r anged from giving concrete instructions about care of a surgical wound to i nterpreting complex information about options for cancer treatment. Elderly postsurgical cancer patients need informational support during the transit ion from hospital to home.