The Effect of Individual and Group Self-care Education on Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Educating Patients diagnosed with cancer about their disease and treatment is a vital component of their nursing care. Management of treatment side effects and maintaining the quality of life could be achievable only by adequate and organized self-care education. With regards to the importance of the concept of cost-effectiveness in health care providing system, this study aimed to assess the effects of patient education on the quality of life in patients receiving chemotherapy and also to compare these effects between individual patient education and group education methods. One hundred and two patients with breast, esophagus and stomach cancer referred to Chemotherapy Unit in Omid hospital were randomly assined to two groups: Group teaching and Individual teaching methods. Fifty-one received three individual teaching sessions. Three group teaching sessions were conducted for the other fifty-one patients. All subjects were interviewed by the same interviewer three times (before the first chemotherapy, second and third session) using EORTC QLQ-C30 quality-of-life questionnaire. The mean age of the two groups were 46/6± 3/9 and 48/7±1/32 in the individual and group teaching groups, respectivly. Using repeated measure test, we observed a significant difference in the quality of life scores over time between the two groups (p=0.02, F=3.7). However, this effect was only evident after the third chemotherapy course. Group teaching could maintain quality of life better than individual teaching over time. Health care providers could use these two methods interchangeably according to institute condition and the patient's needs and preferences.