Effects of self-efficacy development and social support on self-care behaviors of the cardiac valve replacement patients, chest disease institute, Nonthaburi province
Abstract:
This quasi-experimental study aimed to assess the effectiveness of self-efficacy development
and social support on self-care behaviors of cardiac valve replacement patients. The subjects of this
study were cardiac valve replacement patients from the Chest Disease Institute, Nonthaburi Province.
They were divided into two groups, an experimental group containing 33 patients and a comparison
group containing 35 patients. The experimental group participated in the self-care program; the
comparison group received the routine health education from the hospital. The study was carried out
from April 2006 to February 2007. Data was collected by interviewing with 6 questionnaires: personal
characteristics and illness information, knowledge, perceived self-efficacy, perceived outcome
expectation, self-care behaviors and social support. The data collected were analyzed by percentage,
means, standard deviation, Student’s t-test and Paired Samples t-test.
The results of the study showed that after the intervention the experimental and the
comparison groups had significantly higher mean scores of knowledge, perceived self-efficacy and
perceived outcome expectation than before the intervention. At the follow-up period, the two groups
had significantly higher mean scores of self-care behaviors and social support than the day before
discharge (p < 0.001). A comparison of the two groups showed that before the intervention, the two
groups had significantly different mean scores of knowledge and at the day before discharging, the
mean scores of self-care behviors were significantly different. In regard to the analysis of the mean
differences, the experimental group had significantly higher mean score differences regarding
knowledge and self-care behviors than the comparison group. After the intervention, the experimental
group had significantly higher mean scores of perceived self-efficacy, perceived outcome expectation,
and at the follow-up period had significatly higher mean score of social support than the comparison
group (p < 0.001).
This self-efficacy development (using positive live modeling) and social support was more
effective than the routine care of the hospital in helping cardiac valve replacement patients perform
appropriate self-care behaviors. Therefore, the Chest Disease Institute should establish the positive live
model network for cardiac valve replacement patients to support other patients who will undergo
cardiac valve replacement surgery. Social support from the family on self-care behaviors during
hospitalization and at home was also essential.