Comparison of the effectiveness of home visits and telephone follow-up on the self-efficacy of patients having un-dergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and the burden of their family caregivers: A randomized con-trolled trial.
Foruzan Gohari, Shirin Hasanvand, Mohammad Gholami and 3 others
PMID 35485627WHAT IT FOUND
Four weeks of nurse-led home visits or phone calls raised CABG patients' confidence in managing their recovery and lowered their family caregivers' burden.
Phone follow-up matched home visits in effectiveness, offering a practical option when travel or distance is a barrier.
Key findings
01Both home visits and telephone follow-up significantly improved patient self-efficacy compared to routine care, with no difference between the two active methods.
02Caregiver burden scores were significantly lower in both intervention groups than in the control group, with no difference between home visits and phone calls.
03The telephone group received eight 30-minute counseling sessions over four weeks, while the home visit group received four one-hour sessions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was conducted in a single hospital in Iran, so findings may not generalize to other healthcare systems or cultural contexts. The intervention lasted only four weeks, so long-term effects on self-efficacy and caregiver burden are unknown. Services were provided by a single nurse researcher rather than a multidisciplinary team, which may limit the scope of care delivered. Blinding of participants and personnel was not possible due to the nature of the interventions, which could introduce performance bias. The control group received routine care, which was not standardized across all participants, potentially affecting the baseline comparison.
Declared interests
No specific conflicts of interest or funding sources were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume telephone follow-up is superior to home visits. The study found no significant difference between the two methods for either patient self-efficacy or caregiver burden, meaning neither was more effective than the other.