BACKGROUND: More than one quarter of all cardiovascular surgical patients are re-admitted to hospitals with postoperative complications experienced during the first three months of recovery.
AIM AND METHOD: The purpose of this discursive paper is to review the literature pertaining to a self-management coaching intervention that is currently being evaluated using a randomized controlled clinical trial.
RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: A discussion of how to integrate coaching into clinical practice is presented. The use of coaching in the clinical setting has implications for nurses in that it can be used to assess behaviours, knowledge, and learning needs; provide individualized education that is reflective of a patient's identified learning needs; collaborate with patients in setting goals; identify barriers and engage in problem-solving to overcome barriers; and create a specific plan for follow-up.