Objectives: To determine the effects of hospital-based training program on self-care behaviors based on health belief model in patients with heart failure and to offer quality improvement programs for self-care to patients.
Design: At first, a 70-subject sample size was determined for the study. However, considering a 20% loss rate, the sample size was increased to 84 subjects (42 in each group). Setting and conduct: In order to prevent information exchange between the patients during the intervention, randomization was done based on hospitals rather than individuals (The hospitals were selected using sealed envelopes). The patients were assessed regarding the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were entered into the study after signing written informed consents.
Inclusion criteria: suffering from heart failure, being literate, and being able to communicate.
Exclusion criteria: having underlying diseases such as chronic kidney disease and diabetes, being educated in medical sciences, withdrawal from the study due to personal reasons, and failure to participate in training sessions (over 2 sessions) or exams.
Intervention: The patients participated in four 15-30-minute training sessions. In the first two sessions, the concept, importance, and method of self-care behaviors were taught. The patients were also provided with leaflets and videos. The subsequent sessions were held in form of question and answer. The study questionnaire was completed in three steps (before the intervention and 2 weeks and 2 months after discharge). Main outcome measures: To compare the mean scores of the health belief model structures (knowledge, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived barriers, perceived benefits, cues to action, self-efficacy, and behavior) between the two groups before and after the intervention.