Background & Aim: Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer can have a detrimental effect on the quality of life of women. Self-care program seems necessary to improve their quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of Orem self-care model on the quality of life of women with breast cancer.

Methods: In this clinical trial, eighty women with breast cancer who who referred to oncology centers affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The sampling method was as convenience method but selected samples were randomly assigned between the control and intervention groups. Orem's self-care model was taught to patients of intervention group during an eight sessions about forty-five minutes. The QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23 questionnaires were used to collect data before intervention and two weeks after the last intervention session. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 21 through descriptive and inferential statistics, taking into account the significance level.

Results: Significant statistical differences were reported among the sub-scales of quality of life namely global health status, physical functioning, emotional functioning, and role functioning, social functioning, body image and future perspective between the two groups after intervention. The median test has shown a significant difference (p <0.05) by the number of patients in the test group who had a higher scores than the overall median , i.e., improvement in the quality of life , compared to the number of patients in the control group. Also, the results of the study about symptoms scales/items showed that the number of patients in the test group who had equal to or less than the total median score of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, insomnia, anorexia, constipation, systemic therapy side effects, arm symptoms, breast symptoms, and upset by hair loss, i.e., improvement in the quality of life, had a significant difference compared to those in the control group (p <0.05). However, no significant difference was observed by subscales of cognitive functioning, sexual functioning and sexual enjoyment, as well as symptoms such as pain, dyspnea, diarrhea and financial difficulties between the two groups of test and control (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Orem's self-care model has been able to improve the quality of life of women with breast cancer by reducing some of the symptoms associated with their illness and treatment.