1Lecturer, Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery
2Nursing Department, Nursing and Midwifery School, Zahedan University of Medical Science, Zahedan, Iran
3Department of Nursing Education, Lecturer of Nursing Midwifery Faculty, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran
*Corresponding author: Saadat Salari, Department of Nursing Education, Lecturer of Nursing Midwifery Faculty, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran. Email: ganjresearch@gmail.com
Online published on 4 January, 2017.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and progressive disease of the central nervous system. As a major cause of disability in the world, it can cause stress in patients. Therefore, it is important to use self-care methods for MS patients. The present study examines the effect of a self-care instructional program based on Orem's model on the stress of MS patients.
In the present clinical trial study, 88 MS patients who were members of the MS Society of Zahedan city in Iran during 2014–15 were selected as a convenience sample and randomly assigned to an intervention group and a control group of 44 members each. A nine-session instructional program suiting the patients’ needs was designed and implemented based on Orem's model. The patients’ adherence to the program was assessed using a self-report checklist.
Before the intervention, the intervention group had a significantly higher mean stress score than the control group (p = 0.04). After the intervention, the intervention group had a significantly greater mean change in stress scores than the control group (p < 0.05).
The findings show that the implementation of Orem's self-care instructional program can reduce the stress of MS patients. Given the limitations of the present study, further research in this field is recommended.
Self-care, Orem's model, stress, multiple sclerosis
