Discharge after myocardial infarction (MI) reduces the risk of repeated myocardial infarction and stroke and has a positive effect on the patient’s prognosis. An important element of preparation is the assessment of the patient’s readiness for discharge from hospital. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between a patient’s readiness for hospital discharge after MI, their functioning in the chronic illness, and socio-demographic and clinical variables. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, single-center study. The study was conducted among 242 patients who were hospitalized for myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The Readiness for Hospital Discharge After Myocardial Infarction Scale (RHD-MIS) and the Functioning in Chronic Illness Scale (FCIS) were used. Results: No statistically significant differences were found between socio-demographic and clinical factors and the overall result of the RHD-MIS (p >0.05).There is a positive correlation between hospital discharge readiness and functioning in chronic disease in patients after MI (r = 0.20; p < 0.001). The higher the level of subjective knowledge, the better the functioning in chronic disease (rho = 0.16; p < 0.05), the greater the increase in the sense of influence on the course of the disease (rho = 0.17; p < 0.05) and the greater the decrease in the impact of the disease on the patient’s attitude (rho = 0.23, p < 0.05). Conclusions: The higher the readiness for discharge from hospital, the better the patient’s functioning in the disease and the lower the impact of the disease on the patient.
Keywords: chronic illness; discharge from hospital; myocardial infarction.