BACKGROUND: The field of interventional cardiology have been marked by great advancements, but the way of dealing with information, passed on to the patients regarding the procedures, has been put aside. It is imperative to consolidate the orientation transmitted to the patients, instructing them about the benefits which can be attained through their understanding of invasive procedures. Our objective was to assess the knowledge of patients submitted to cardiac catheterization in a specialized cardiology hospital. METHOD: Cross-section study, performed through interviews involving 11 questions related to the understanding of the patients regarding their disease, about the benefits and potential complications of the exam, and what care should be taken during their recovery. A score was developed and a cut-off point was established at 8 right answers to identify patients with a satisfactory level of knowledge. RESULTS: One hundred and forty eight patients were assessed, with a mean age of 60 ± 10 years, 55.4% male gender and of which 67.6% were being submitted to cardiac catheterism for the first time. The average number of right answers was 5.7 ± 2.0 and 17.6% of the patients achieved a score considered of satisfactory knowledge. Patients with higher income and education levels showed a better performance in the score. CONCLUSION: The results of this study allow us to conclude that the patients demonstrated unsatisfactory knowledge regarding the outpatient catheterization procedure. These results stress the importance of expanding the activities of health care teams, as a way of reducing this scenario of misinformation.
Heart catheterization; Knowledge; Nursing evaluation research
