The effect of self-care education program on self-efficacy and quality of life of patients with colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy

Today, cancer is the third cause of human death and one of the most important challenges of the Iranian health care system that reduces the quality of life of patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of self-care education program on self-efficacy and quality of life in colorectal cancer patients.

This quasi-experimental study was performed on 70 patients with colorectal cancer who were enrolled in the study through convenience sampling method in Payambar Azam hospital of Bandar Abbas in 2020. Before and after two months of implementation of the program, the standard QLQ-C30 questionnaire and Schererchr('39')s self-efficacy questionnaire were completed by the experimental and control groups. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS 23 software.

After self-care education, the mean of self-efficacy scores in the intervention group was 60.60±7.26 and in the control group it was 42.76±11.32. Also, the mean of quality of life scores after the intervention in the intervention group was 61.33±15.60 and 43.66±11.82 in the control group. There were significant differences in terms of self-efficacy and quality of life between the two groups after the educational intervention (P<0.001).

One of the goals of the self-care program is to increase patientschr('39') knowledge and awareness of the nature of their disease. Application of self-care program based on educational needs is effective on quality of life and self-efficacy of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.