The effectiveness of the self- care education programs on the quality of life in School Age children with Nephrotic Syndrome: A Quasi- Experimental Study

Nephrotic syndrome is a common disorder in pediatrics that is associated with glomerular disorders. Children with nephrotic syndrome experience frequent hospitalizations which affects the quality of life of the patient and family. This study conducted to investigate the effectiveness of self-care education on the quality of life in children with nephrotic syndrome.

This quasi-experimental study was performed in the pediatric ward of Ali Ebn Abitalib Hospital in Zahedan in 2018. 96 school-age children with Nephrotic Syndrome were selected by convenience sampling and as simply random with lottery method divided into two groups:  intervention (n = 48), and control (n = 48) groups. In the intervention group, self-care education was held for 4 sessions (30-45 min) for 4 days. Eight weeks after training, quality of life assessed. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (Peds QL 4.0) used. T-test and SPSS v.21 were used for data analysis.

The mean of quality of life in the intervention group after the intervention (56.02±192.28) was higher than before the intervention (51.73±164.70) (P <0.05).  The mean of quality of life after the intervention was significantly different between the two groups intervention and control groups (P <0.05).

The results suggest that self-care education effected on quality of life, therefore we propose that nurses can use self- care education as a cost-effective and acceptable method for children with nephrotic syndrome.