The effect of empowerment program on life satisfaction of people with coronary artery disease

The present study was conducted to examine the effect of an empowerment program on the life satisfaction of patients with coronary artery disease.

Because of the chronic and progressive nature of coronary artery disease, patients suffer frequent problems and relapses. Heart disease is considered as one of the debilitating diseases, and as such adversely affects the patient's self-care, quality of life, and health status.

In this randomized clinical trial, 84 people with coronary artery disease, admitted to post-CCU wards in Tehran's Center for Heart diseases, were recruited in 2017. The study subjects were selected based on inclusion criteria. After explaining the study objectives and obtaining written signed consents, patients were assigned to experimental and control groups by blocking random allocation. Both groups completed questionnaires for demographic data and disease history, and Life Engagement Test. The Magic Empowerment Program was performed for experimental group as three workshop sessions for three consecutive days. Intervention continued after patients' discharge from the hospital through phone calls once a week for eight weeks. The Life Engagement Test was completed by the researcher for both groups, data were analyzed in SPSS-16 using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The results showed no statistically significant difference between groups in terms of demographic variables and disease history. Before intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the mean scores of life satisfaction of experimental and control group and the two groups were homogeneous. After intervention, a statistically significant difference was observed between the groups in mean score of Life Engagement (P≤0.0001). The mean score of life satisfaction in experimental group, before and after the intervention was statistically significant (P≤0.0001), while in the control group there was no statistically significant difference.

The empowerment program increased life satisfaction of patients with coronary artery disease. Nurses can benefit from the empowerment program to improve life satisfaction, which is one of the dimensions of psychosocial health, in these patients.