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Introduction & Objective: Diabetes is a disease with long cardiovascular, renal, eye and neural complications. It is prevalent all around the world including Iran and especially in Yazd province and its prevalence is increasing. Higher perceived severity and susceptibility of its complications may cause a higher level of self care behaviors in these patients. The aim of this study was to determine the constructs’ status and their related factors in diabetic patients. Materials & Methods: This analytical study was carried out on 120 diabetic patients referred to Yazd Diabetes Research Center which were recruited with a sampling method. A questionnaire was used for data collection which measured the perceived severity and susceptibility and self care behaviors. Subjects’ demographic variables such as age, sex, education level, job, history of diabetes duration and type of diabetes were also recorded. Results: The subjects reported 86.72, 55.72 and 62.79% of receivable scores of perceived severity, perceived susceptibility and self care score, respectively. Deteriorating eyesight was perceived at the highest level of severity and circulatory problems in the feet were at the lowest level. Deteriorating eyesight and aching legs and blurred vision was at the highest level of perceived susceptibility while high and low sugar coma was at the lowest level. Men had a higher level of perceived severity than women. There was a significant correlation between history of diabetes duration and perceived susceptibility and severity × susceptibility. Perceived susceptibility and severity, and severity × susceptibility and self care behaviors had a significant correlation with each other at 0.01 level. Perceived susceptibility and severity predicted 12.1% of variances in self care behaviors while severity × susceptibility predicted 12% of variances in self care behaviors. Conclusion: Despite the fact that perceived severity of diabetes complications among subjects was at favorable level, their perceived susceptibility was low. Diabetic foot complications are more important and in general, increasing perceived susceptibility and severity may induce an increas in self care behaviors among diabetic patients.

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Abstract Background & aim: Hypothyroid goiter, like other chronic diseases, can affect the patients’ quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to examine the effect of Orem’s Self-care Model Application on QOL of patients with hypothyroid goiter. Methods: In this interventional study, 70 patients with hypothyroid goiter referred to healthcare clinics of Yasuj were randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n=35). Data were collected by a questionnaire, evaluating self-care, according to Orem’s Model, and the SF-36 questionnaire, measuring the QOL at baseline and 3 months following intervention. For intervention, patients received Orem’s Self-care instructions adjusted to their self-care needs during eight 45-minute sessions. Data were analyzed by using paired and independent t-tests. Results: In the experimental group, mean of QOL was 43.28±17.26 before and 79.64±11.86 after intervention. Paired t-test showed that the difference between pre and post intervention scores is significant (P=0.001). In the control group, however, there was no significant difference in QOL before and after intervention. After intervention, eight domains of QOL in experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group. Conclusion: This study revealed that applying Orem’s Self-care Model could improve the quality of life in patients with hypothyroid goiter. Key words: Hypothyroid goiter, Orem’s Self-care Model, Quality of life

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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.