Evaluation of the Effect of Self- Care Program Based on the Orem Framework on the Physical Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, progressive and degenerative myelin sheath disease of the central nervous system. It frequently occurs in young people in the productive stage of life who are solicitous about their role and family responsibilities. One of the treatment and vigilance intervention index in improvement of chronic illness is quality of life. The objective of the implementation of this study was to assess the effect of Orem self- care program on physical quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients. This study was a quasi-experimental research on 70 multiple sclerosis patients’ who were randomly allocated to experimental or control group (35 patients in each group). The experimental group was treated with self-care program based on Orem self-care frame work and compared with the control group. Data was analyzed using presumption statistics. T test showed that there was no significant difference in the physical quality of life score before intervention in the two groups (P=0.33, T=-0.69), while after intervention, the same test indicated a significant difference between the two groups (P=0.001, T=14.42). Pair t test showed significant difference in experimental group before and after self care program (P=0.001, T=-14.20), whereas the same test showed no significant difference in the control group (P= 0.95, T= -0.06). According to the study result, self care program based on the Orem frame work can have an effect on the physical quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients. Therefore, if a program is designed on the basis of educational needs and the “Orem self- care model” approach, it can be effective for enhancing the multiple sclerosis patients physical quality of life, and it can be recommended as a nursing interventional program. This intervention is safe, inexpensive and complementary that can be used to support multiple sclerosis patients in treatment centers.