Factors Associated with Self Care Practices among Patients with Hepatitis C Virus

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important public health problem both in developed and developing countries. Living with hepatitis C involves learning to live with the physical, emotional, social and financial consequences of the disease. All of these changes can affect patient's ability to cope with chronic HCV with profound negative impacts on self-care practices. Self-care as a part of daily living is the care taken by individuals towards their own health and well-being, which includes the care extended to their children, family, friends and others in neighborhoods and local communities. Self-care practices play an important role in disease management, treatment and achieving better health outcome. Objective: Identify factors associated with self-care practices among patients with hepatitis C virus. Setting: The study was conducted at outpatient clinic of Liver Institute in Kafr El-Sheikh (Ministry of Health). Subjects: 340 adult patients diagnosed with HCV infection. Tools: Three tools were utilized for the purpose of data collection; socio-demographic and clinical data interview schedule, hepatitis C virus patients' knowledge structured interview questionnaire, and hepatitis C Virus self-care practices structured interview questionnaire. Results: There were multiple factors influencing patients' self-care practices including age, sex, educational level, marital status, type of work, income, residence and clinical onset and duration of disease, history of associated diseases and taking medications for these associated diseases. Conclusion: There were four factors together statistically significant influence patients self-care practices including educational level, age, income and residence. Recommendations: Development of health education programs for HCV patients and their families to teach them how to apply self-care practices and how to deal with factors affecting patients' self-care practices to avoid subsequent complications of HCV.