Abstract Individuals undergoing cardiac surgery can be of any age and functional ability. This literature review examines the correlation between the patient’s ability to engage in self-care behaviors and the efficacy of their rehabilitation. Using Orem’s Self-Care Nursing Deficit Theory and Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory peer-reviewed research studies were selected from accredited journals using CINHAL, Ovid, PubMed and Google Scholar ranging from 1988 to 2009. The literature reviewed indicated that the patients’ perceived ability to engage in self-care behaviors impacted their recovery after they were discharge from the hospital. The literature also suggests that nursing interventions can promote and enable self-care while the …show more content…

Out of the articles identified in the search, thirteen were chosen for review, seven involving nursing theory and six involving non-nursing theory. Two of the articles reviewed for the nursing theory did also include research involving the non-nursing theory selected.
Nursing Theoretical Framework Two of the seven primary articles regarding Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory were conducted using a quantitative research method, two used a qualitative method and three provided development of theory framework; six of the articles provided some description of Orem’s theory. Callaghan (2003) developed a questionnaire that was sent out to 650 random participants, from a healthcare system, county college and a fire department, ranging in ages 18 to 65. Of the 650 questionnaires distributed, 379 could be used for evaluation. This study investigated the relationships among health-promoting self-care behaviors, self-care self-efficacy, and self-care agency in an adult population (Callaghan, 2003) but not the aspects regarding cardiac surgery. This article identified the basic conditioning factors and concept of self-care agency from Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory and studied how nursing practice could influence self-care behaviors.
Three of the articles involving studies were based on the patient population involved in cardiac surgery and obtained random samples after patients were admitted to the