Self-Care Education Program as a New Pathway Toward Improving Quality of Life in Kidney Transplant Patients: A Single-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVES Despite the benefits of kidney transplant, kidney recipients are confronting many challenges that affect the quality of their lives. Implementation of the most effective self-care education program based on the needs of patients may address these challenges and improve their quality of life. This study aimed to determine the effects of a self-care education program on the quality of life in kidney transplant patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this single-blind, randomized, controlled trial, 59 patients who met inclusion criteria were selected using a convenience sampling technique. Patients were randomly allocated into intervention (n = 29) and control (n = 30) groups. The intervention group received a bedside self-care education program in 3 sessions. The control group only received routine care. Data were collected by demographic and kidney transplant questionnaires before and after the intervention. Measuring the mean score of quality of life was the primary outcome in this study. We used descriptive and inferential statistics to analyze the data. RESULTS A significant difference was observed in the mean score of quality of life between both groups after intervention (P ⟨ .001). The mean score of quality of life increased significantly in the intervention group after the self-care education program (P ⟨ .001). CONCLUSIONS A self-care education program is a more effective approach to improve the knowledge and skills of transplant patients. Thus, we suggest an emphasis on teaching self-care knowledge and skills for transplant patients in nursing care education programs. This can ultimately lead to quality of life improvement in kidney transplant patients.