Background: Cardiovascular diseases are the primary cause of death worldwide, claiming approximately 17.9 million lives annually. Aim: the study  aimed to explore the effectiveness of planned preoperative teaching about self-care activities for patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Sample: a purposive sample of 80 patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Research design:  A quasi-experimental design with pre- and post-assessment was employed. Setting: The study was conducted in the adult cardiac surgical unit of El-Nasr Specialized Hospital, which is part of the Egypt Health Care Authority in Port Said. Data collection tools: Two data collection tools were used: Tool I, a questionnaire assessing patients' knowledge of self-care activities, and Tool II, an observation checklist for self-care practices. Results: revealed that 61.3% of the participants were male, and 48.8% were aged between 55 and 60 years. Initially, none of the patients demonstrated adequate knowledge of self-care activities before the intervention. However, they rose to 100% immediately after the intervention. Significant improvements were observed in the patients' self-care practices across the three study phases, with a p-value of 0.001.  Conclusion: The study concluded there was a notable enhancement in both knowledge and practice of self-care activities among cardiac surgery patients. Additionally, statistically significant differences were found between the pre-and post-intervention phases, as well as the postoperative phase, concerning knowledge and practices related to self-care. Recommendations: Regular training sessions on preoperative education for cardiac surgery patients should be conducted using a variety of multimedia tools, such as television programs, videos, booklets, audio tapes, and brochures to reinforce health behaviors and improve patients' adherence to recommended self-care practices.
61.3% of the participants were male, and 48.8% were aged between 55 and 60 years. Initially, none of the patients demonstrated adequate knowledge of self-care activities before the intervention. However, rose to 100% immediately after the intervention. Significant improvements were observed in the patients' self-care practices across the three study phases, with a p-value of 0.001.. Conclusion: Study concluded there was a notable enhancement in both knowledge and practice of self-care activities among cardiac surgery patients. Additionally, statistically significant differences were found between the pre- and post-intervention phases, as well as the postoperative phase, concerning knowledge and practices related to self-care. Recommendations: Regular training sessions on preoperative education for cardiac surgery patients should be conducted using a variety of multimedia tools, such as television programs, videos, booklets, audio tapes, and brochures to reinforce health behaviors and improve patients' self-care practices.