Paper Title
Effects of Discharge Planning Program on Self - Care Behavior Among Congestive Heart Failure Patients at Damnoensaduak Hospital in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand

Abstract
This study was a quasi - experimental research. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of discharge planning program on self - care behaviors among congestive heart failure patients at Damnoensaduak Hospital in Ratchaburi Province. Data was collected during July – December 2018 Inclusion criteria for purposive sampling was used to select 45 samples usual. The samples were divided into two group. The control group (n=15) was patients who received the conventional care by ward nurses. The study group was patients (n=15) and their family caregivers (n=15) who received the supportive educative nursing system based on discharge planning program. The research instruments included the discharge planning program, teaching plans with 7 subsets as well as questionnaires for measuring patients self - care behaviors, their family caregiver knowledge and ability to take care patients by family caregivers. Data was analyzed by using percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA. The result of this study was revealed that: 1. The mean score of self - care behaviors in inpatient period and outpatient period (after 8 weeks of discharge) after cardiac rehabilitation increased significantly when compared to pre - cardiac rehabilitation period (p<0.05). 2. The mean score of self - care behaviors in inpatient period and outpatient period (after 8 weeks of discharge) after cardiac rehabilitation increased significantly when compared to the control group (p<0.05). 3. The mean score of the family caregiver knowledge and ability to take care patients by family caregivers after receiving the education program by researcher increased significantly when compare to pre-cardiac rehabilitation period (p<0.05). The recommendation for this study is that nurses should take care of congestive heart failure by using cardiac rehabilitation program. Nurses should promote the family caregivers to participate in caring for congestive heart failure patients including supportive - educative nursing system to achieve a goal of nursing care. Keyword - Congestive Heart Failure Patients, Discharge Planning Program, Self - Care Behavior