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Bridging the Transition from Hospital to Home: Effects of the VITAL Telehealth Program on Recovery for CABG Surgery Patients and their Caregivers
Author(s) -
KeepingBurke Lisa,
Purden Margaret,
FrasureSmith Nancy,
Cossette Sylvie,
McCarthy Frank,
Amsel Rhonda
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.21571
Subject(s) - telehealth , medicine , anxiety , randomized controlled trial , physical therapy , depressive symptoms , surgery , health care , telemedicine , psychiatry , economics , economic growth
The purpose of this randomized trial was to determine whether coronary artery bypass graft surgery patients and their caregivers who received telehealth follow‐up had greater improvements in anxiety levels from pre‐surgery to 3 weeks after discharge than did those who received standard care. Secondary outcomes included changes in depressive symptoms and patients' contacts with physicians. No group differences were noted in changes in patients' anxiety and depressive symptoms, but patients in the telehealth group had fewer physician contacts ( p = .04). Female caregivers in the telehealth group had greater decreases in anxiety than those in standard care ( p < .001), and caregivers of both genders in the telehealth group had greater decreases in depressive symptoms ( p = .03). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 36: 540–553, 2013