Effect of Teach- Back on Treatment Adherence in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Semi-Experimental Study

Patients with acute coronary syndrome suffer from relapse and progression of disability due to poor adherence to treatment plans. The current study aimed to determine the effect of teach-back on treatment adherence in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

A semi-experimental study was carried out in 70 patients with acute coronary syndrome in cardiac care units in educational hospitals of Zahedan, Iran, 2019. The patients were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned into intervention group or control group. Demographic information questionnaire and treatment adherence questionnaire developed by Ziaee were used. The intervention group received individual trainings based on teach-back method during three sessions of 30-45 min, every other day, 24 hr after admission to hospital. Treatment adherence questionnaire was completed for both groups, one and three months after the intervention. Data analysis was performed in SPSS V21.

In intervention group, treatment adherence score was 56.22 ± 12.98 one month after the intervention, which increased to 61.22 ± 11.51 after three months (P<0.05). In control group, the mean score for treatment adherence was 46.97 ± 11.64 after one month and 45.61 ± 12.36 after three months post-intervention, respectively (P=0.04), and the score significantly decreased.

Teach-back training can improve treatment adherence in patients with acute coronary syndrome and nurses can use this method to promote adherence and subsequently improve disease outcomes.