Effect of Empowerment on Self-Efficacy of Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease (A Clinical Trial Study)

Improving the self-efficacy of cardiac patients is one of the pressing necessities that must be considered in the healthcare system. Meeting this urgent need requires comprehensive educational programs. Therefore, the present study aimed at exploring the impact of empowerment on the self-efficacy of patients with ischemic heart disease who had been hospitalized in Imam Khomeini Hospital affiliated to Lorestan University of Medical Sciences. This clinical trial was carried out in 2018 on patients with ischemic heart disease who had referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Pol-e Dokhtar, Lorestan province, Iran. A total of 56 patients were randomly chosen and assigned to the control and experimental groups. The standard chronic disease self-efficacy scale (CDSES) was used for data collection. The empowerment program was presented in three 45-minute sessions, and the data were analyzed by SPSS version 23 using covariance, independent t test, and descriptive statistical tests. The results of the independent t test revealed no significant difference in the mean scores of self-efficacy between the two groups before the intervention. However, after the intervention and at the first and second phases of control, the mean score of self-efficacy was higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Moreover, the results of covariance analysis established that while self-efficacy promoted in the experimental group, it did not change in the control group. Empowerment training can promote self-efficacy in patients with ischemic heart disease, which, in turn, can facilitate their treatment process and ultimately enhance the health system efficacy.