COMPARISON OF THE EFFECT OF VIRTUAL AND FEEDBACK-BASED SELF-CARE TRAINING ON THE SELF-CARE BEHAVIORS OF HEART FAILURE PATIENTS REFERRED TO SEYYED AL-SHOHADA URMIA MEDICAL TRAINING CENTER IN 2020-2021

Due to the chronic nature of the disease, patients with heart failure suffer from impaired self-care and complications of the disease, including frequent hospitalizations. Meanwhile, the use of new educational methods, such as virtual and feedback-based education, is considered as one of the effective methods in educating patients. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining and comparing the effect of self-care training using virtual training and virtual and feedback training on self-care behaviors of patients with heart failure.

The present study was semi-experimental. Ninety patients suffering from heart failure referred to Seyed al-Shohadah Medical Education Center in Urmia in 2020-2021 were selected using the convenience sampling method. Then, the patients were divided by randomized complete blocking method into three groups of feedback training, virtual training, and control groups. In the feedback training group, training was conducted individually and during one month, two sessions of 45-60 minutes per week, face-to-face, lecture, and with feedback at the end of each session for each patient. In the virtual training group, educational content was sent daily for three months in the form of text and images a total of 90 messages and images of educational content in WhatsApp software. The control group received routine care. The research tools included the demographic information form and the European questionnaire of self-care behavior in heart failure patients. Analysis was done by paired t-test as well as ANOVA and chi-square tests in SPSS software version 22.

Before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference between the three groups in terms of demographic variables and self-care behaviors (p>0.05).The mean score of self-care behavior for control, feedback, and virtual training groups after the intervention was 31.73 ± 5.66, 41.93 ± 4.44, and 36.5 ± 072, respectively. ANOVA test showed that this difference was statistically significant (P=0.0001). Tukey's test showed that feedback training was more effective than virtual training in improving patients' self-care (p<0.05). Also, the results of the paired t-test showed that in the feedback group, there was a statistically significant difference between mean self-care score before (30.8 ± 4.99) and after (41.93 ± 4.44) the intervention (P=0.0001). In the virtual training group, the self-care score before and after the intervention was 31.03 ± 4.99 and 36 ± 5.07, respectively, and this difference was statistically significant (P=0.0001).

The results showed that self-care training by means of virtual training and feedback has a positive effect on the self-care behaviors of congestive heart failure patients. Also, the results showed that although both types of training were effective, feedback training was more effective than virtual training in promoting and self-care of patients. Considering the effect of these two training methods on the self-care of congestive heart failure patients and their simplicity and ease, it is recommended to use these two methods in the training of these patients.