Informational needs and preferred time to receive information for phase II cardiac rehabilitation patients: what CE instructors need to know.

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived importance of selected informational needs of cardiac rehabilitation patients and to determine the best time interval to provide this information. The findings of this study support previous studies showing that cardiac rehabilitation patients perceive all information as important and, as such, it is essential that patients and families receive daily information. Information should be provided simply and in nontechnical terms. With a trend toward shorter hospital stays, this study challenges the health care team to provide necessary information in less time. Implications for staff development are described.