Effect of peer education on quality of life in people with heart failure

Aim. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of peer education on quality of life in people with heart failure.
Background. Heart failure is one of the most common chronic diseases and is associated with decreased quality of the patient's life. Considering the positive role of education in improving the quality of life, it is important to find a suitable learning method to improve the quality of life of these patients.
Method. In this quasi-experimental study, 60 heart failure patients were selected using convenience sampling method during 2016. Four peer to peer training sessions were conducted during one month. A Persian translation of the Ferrans and Powers’ quality of life questionnaire was used for evaluating the quality of life of the patients, before and one month after the intervention. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data.
Findings. The mean score of the quality of life in heart failure patients was 134.5±2.4 before the intervention and 163.2±8.7, one month after intervention. Paired t-test showed that peer education had a statistically significant effect on quality of life in people with heart failure patients (P≤00001).
Conclusion. Peer education can improve and enhance the quality of life of heart failure patients.