Abstract:

Aims: The aim of this study is to define learning needs and level of mindfulness in patients that underwent thoracic surgery. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 100 patients, who underwent thoracic surgery at the thoracic surgery clinic of a university hospital between December 2014 and May 2016. Data collection form consisted of three parts, namely Sociodemographic Data Form, Patient Learning Needs Scale (PLNS) and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Results: The mean age of participants was 35.74±17.87 years and 83.8% were male. The mean score obtained from the PLNS was 200.06±37.48. Participants obtained the highest scores from the “Treatment and Complications” (37.01±6.89) and “Activities of Living” (36.01±8.88) subscales of the PLNS. The lowest score was obtained from the “Feelings related to Condition” subscale (19.01±4.75). The relationship between the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients and Patient Educational Needs Scale was not statistically significant. Besides, no statistically significant relationship was found between the scores obtained from the PLNS and MAAS. Conclusions: Our study revealed that the majority of patients needed information on “treatment and complications”. Since the levels of mindfulness of the patients may change over time, it is deemed appropriate to conduct patient education with repeated interviews.

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