The experimental group was contacted by phone once a week, starting on the day they were discharged and continuing for three weeks thereafter. The meetings were limited to 10 minutes. Data was collected from patients at each interview using the "Self-Care Ability Scale" and the "Cardiac Surgery Symptom Inventory". Calls were made and data recorded in accordance with the Telephone Calling Protocol.

The control group was contacted by phone a total of two times. The meetings were limited to 10 minutes. Telephone conversations were conducted in accordance with the Telephone Dialing Protocol. Patients were contacted by phone on the day of their discharge and again in the third week after discharge.Data was collected in each interview using the "Self-Care Power Scale" and the "Cardiac Surgery Symptom Inventory".

Complications following coronary artery bypass graft surgery typically occur within the first six weeks. Patients who do not develop complications postoperative period are discharged within an average of 7 days and spend a large part of their recovery at home. Early diagnosis and prevention of complications that may arise after hospital discharge are possible with good monitoring and care.Telephone Counseling Form: The protocol was developed considering the times when patients undergoing open heart surgery experience the most problems and need support after discharge.Telephone Interview Protocol: This system was developed to support interpersonal interaction, problem-solving, and socio-emotional communication, and conceptually divides communication into two main categories.Self-Care Ability Scale:This scale,designed to determine individuals' ability and capacity to care for themselves.Cardiac Surgery Symptom Inventory (CSSI): The original inventory consists of 5 sub-dimensions.

The symptoms experienced by the experimental group were recorded according to the Cardiac Surgery Symptom Inventory through telephone interviews conducted over a period of 4 weeks. Cardiac Surgery Symptom Inventory (CSSI): The original inventory contains 76 items and consists of 5 sub-dimensions: general, cardiac, trunk, lower and upper extremity symptoms. The scale is unidimensional and consists of 35 items. The inventory is Likert-type, and symptoms are rated on a scale of 0-4 as "None", "Very Little", "Moderate", "Much", "Quite a lot". Following the counseling sessions, inventory scores were calculated based on patient statements and compared with a control group.

After receiving telephone-based counseling training, patients in the study group were assessed weekly for their self-care abilities for four weeks. Self-Care Ability Scale was used to assign scores based on patients' statements. Self-Care Ability Scale: This scale, designed to determine individuals' ability and capacity to care for themselves, consists of 35 items. The scale focuses on individuals' self-assessment of their engagement in self-care activities. Each item is scored from 0 to 4. Individuals' orientation towards self-care is determined by participants' responses on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The response "Does not describe me at all" receives 0 points, while the others receive 1 point each: "Does not describe me much," 2 points each: "No opinion," 3 points each: "Describes me somewhat," and 4 points each: "Describes me very much."