To be eligible, studies needed to have an experimental or quasi-experimental design. Studies needed to include a sample of adults (18 years of age or older) with or at risk of cardiovascular disease. They needed to evaluate an educational intervention provided or initiated during hospitalisation.
Patient populations included adults with a range of cardiovascular conditions and/or awaiting a range of procedures. Most trials did not involve caregivers and family members in the intervention. Both individualised and standardised approaches to patient education were adopted by the studies. The number of intervention sessions ranged from one to 13 across the studies with most including one educational session. Sessions ranged from seven minutes to 2.5 hours in length where reported. There was a wide range of modes of delivery and most interventions were delivered entirely during hospitalisation. Five studies out of 25 reported the theoretical framework underpinning the intervention. Four were conducted in the UK.
The authors did not state how many reviewers performed the study selection.