COMPARING THE EFFECT OF SELF-CARE EDUCATION THROUGH WHATSAPP SOCIAL NETWORK AND FACE-TO-FACE TRAINING ALONG WITH TELEPHONE FOLLOW-UP ON ADHERENCE TO TREATMENT AND READMISSION IN THE PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE

Despite advances in the treatment of heart failure, poor adherence to treatment and patient readmission still imposes a heavy burden on patients and the healthcare system by increasing the cost of treatment and care. However, half of readmissions can be prevented by improving treatment adherence in these patients. This study aimed to compare the effect of self-care education through WhatsApp social network, face-to-face training, and telephone follow-up on adherence to treatment and readmission in patients with heart failure admitted to the CCU and post-CCU wards of Fajr Maku Hospital.

In this quasi-experimental study, 90 patients with heart failure were allocated into three groups (n=30) in 2021. The instruments included demographic information, a readmission checklist, and a Modanloo Treatment Adherence Questionnaire. The face-to-face group received self-care training using the training package and the WhatsApp training group through WhatsApp messenger. The control group only received routine care. The treatment adherence questionnaire and readmission checklist were completed before and one month after the intervention. The data were analyzed using SPSS software ver. 16.0 using paired t-test, chi-square, and ANOVA. The significance level was P<0.05.

There was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of adherences to treatment between the control group and two intervention groups after the intervention (P <0.001). The results also showed that the mean scores of adherences to treatment between the two intervention groups were not statistically significant (P = 0.451) after the intervention. Self-care training in both intervention groups improved treatment adherence, whereas the mean overall score of treatment adherence in the WhatsApp group increased more than in the face-to-face group. There was a statistically significant difference in the frequency of readmission between the control group and the intervention groups after the intervention (P <0.001). In the control group, the frequency of readmission was 26.7% one month after discharge; it was 3.3% and 0% in the face-to-face and the WhatsApp groups, respectively, one month after the intervention.

Self-care education in two methods increases treatment adherence and reduces readmission. However, patients in the WhatsApp group followed the treatment more than those in the face-to-face group. Nursing educators and nurses should use the results of this research to better understand the role of education with virtual social networks in improving treatment adherence and reducing readmission in chronic diseases.