Self-care Practices In Patients Research Articles

Study on Pattern of Self-Management Practices in Patients of Diabetes in Rural Population in Aligarh

Self care involves all decisions which individuals, families,take for their own health particularly their own physical andmental well being. Staying fit, exercising, avoiding hazardous behavior etc. will all compound to self care.The aim ofthis study is to find the pattern of self care management practices in patients of Diabetes. A cross sectional study wasdone in registered villages of Rural Health Training Centre and 316 population was covered. All patients of the selectednon communicable diseases above 18 years of age were selected who gave their consent. Self care practice assessmentwas done by including: Diabetes specific section including SDSCA measure - Summary of Diabetes Self- Care ActivitiesQuestionnaire. The findings showed that the prevalence of self-care practices in patients of diabetes was not very high.Slightly more than 50% diabetics were following good levels of self-care practices. Individual levels of self-care practiceslike medication, physical activity/ exercise, adequate diet, risky behaviours of tobacco intake and alcohol consumption,monitoring blood pressure/ blood sugar/ symptoms of COPD, weight management etc. showed varied prevalence.Mostly the patients with any non-communicable disease were found adherent to their medications. In patients ofdiabetes; age group, presently attending any health facility for disease management and receiving health care provider’sadvice for lifestyle modifications were associated significantly with self-care practices.

Study on Pattern of Self-Management Practices in Patients of Diabetes in Rural Population in Aligarh

Self care involves all decisions which individuals, families,take for their own health particularly their own physical andmental well being. Staying fit, exercising, avoiding hazardous behavior etc. will all compound to self care.The aim ofthis study is to find the pattern of self care management practices in patients of Diabetes. A cross sectional study wasdone in registered villages of Rural Health Training Centre and 316 population was covered. All patients of the selectednon communicable diseases above 18 years of age were selected who gave their consent. Self care practice assessmentwas done by including: Diabetes specific section including SDSCA measure - Summary of Diabetes Self- Care ActivitiesQuestionnaire. The findings showed that the prevalence of self-care practices in patients of diabetes was not very high.Slightly more than 50% diabetics were following good levels of self-care practices. Individual levels of self-care practiceslike medication, physical activity/ exercise, adequate diet, risky behaviours of tobacco intake and alcohol consumption,monitoring blood pressure/ blood sugar/ symptoms of COPD, weight management etc. showed varied prevalence.Mostly the patients with any non-communicable disease were found adherent to their medications. In patients ofdiabetes; age group, presently attending any health facility for disease management and receiving health care provider’sadvice for lifestyle modifications were associated significantly with self-care practices.

Self-care Ability among Elderly Patients with Osteoarthritis

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the level of self-care ability and activity of daily living ≥ 60 years’ elderly having osteoarthritis and determine their association with socio demographic variables. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 in the OPDs of tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar, Pakistan. Total 384 elderly individuals were recruited through consecutive sampling Data were collected through validated questionnaire Self-care items and Activity of daily living. Descriptive statistics like mean, and standard deviation were calculated. Chi square was applied to see an association. Result: Among the 384 participants of the study, Majority of the patient was 68% of them were females. The mean BMI was 28.37 with a standard deviation ± 4.005. Using the ADL checklist majority of the participants were moderately affected (41.7%) followed by the intact patient (30.7%), while the percentage of highly affected patient were (27.3%). The self-care activities of majority of the participants self-care were poor (71.6%), while the remaining (28.4%) patients were intact. A significant association of self-care ability was found with age, duration of osteoarthritis, type of osteoarthritis, grading of osteoarthritis, income level. Moreover, a significant association was also found between activity of daily living with age, gender, duration of osteoarthritis, type of osteoarthritis, grading of osteoarthritis, marital status with activities of daily living, and residence. Conclusion: The study found that majority of the patient self-care practices and activity of daily living was poor, while highly significant association was found with socio demographic variables. Therefore, strategies shall be made to work on all those variables which are modifiable to make the life of these patients comfortable.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis regarding hemodialysis and its complications: a single-center, cross-sectional study in Nanjing

BackgroundGood knowledge of and attitudes toward hemodialysis and its complications might be expected to promote good practices and improve adherence. This study investigated, the knowledge, attitude, and practice of patients receiving hemodialysis regarding hemodialysis and its complications.MethodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled patients with uremia who were receiving hemodialysis at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (China) between January 9, 2023, and January 16, 2023. A questionnaire was designed that included the following dimensions: demographic/clinical information, knowledge, attitude, and practice. Correlations between knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were evaluated by Pearson correlation analysis.ResultsThe analysis included 493 patients (305 males, 61.87%). The average knowledge, attitude, and practice score was 19.33 ± 7.07 (possible range, 0–31), 28.77 ± 3.58 (possible range, 8–40), and 43.57 ± 6.53 (possible range, 11–55) points, respectively. A higher knowledge score was associated with younger age (P < 0.001), a higher education level (P < 0.001), and not living alone (P < 0.001), while a higher practice score was associated with a shorter history of hemodialysis (P < 0.001). There were positive correlations between the knowledge and practice scores (r = 0.220, P < 0.001) and between the attitude and practice scores (r = 0.453, P < 0.001), although the knowledge and attitude scores were not significantly correlated.ConclusionsThe results provide important insights into the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of patients with uremia in Nanjing (China) regarding hemodialysis and its complications. These findings may facilitate education programs to improve self-care practices in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis in Nanjing (China).

Self-Care Practices and Their Role in the Control of Diabetes: A Narrative Review.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a long-standing, continuously growing metabolic ailment in which levels of glucose in the blood increase due to a total (DM of type 1) or incomplete (DM of type 2) decrease in the level of the hormone insulin. Diabetes mellitus affects a large number of individuals worldwide, and as more people develop the disease, the burden will double from what it is now. The requirements of people suffering from diabetes are not only confined to the control of blood glucose; there is also a need to prevent disabilities, side effects, and difficulties in rehabilitation. Studies suggest that seven self-care practices for individuals suffering from this disease have shown good outcomes. Those practices include assessment of sugar levels in the blood, consuming healthy foods, remaining physically active, taking medications regularly and on time, maintaining healthy behavior, and decreasing risk factors. All of these practices collectively have shown good results in maintaining blood glucose levels, decreasing side effects, and increasing life expectancy in people with diabetes mellitus. Those who have DM and practice self-care have shown positive results by reducing the complications of DM, decreasing its progression, and leading to a huge reduction in the burden due to DM. Despite these positive changes, people sticking to these self-care practices are very few, specifically when we see broad and chronic changes. There are many positive contributing factors, such as social factors, demographic factors, and various socio-economic factors, but the role of physicians in increasing the practices associated with personal care for people with this disease is crucial and most important for the desired outcome. Keeping in mind the burden and multidimensional nature of the disorder, proper systematic and combined efforts are needed to increase these self-care practices in patients with diabetes to reduce any chronic side effects and complications.

Knowledge and Self Care Practices in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Regarding Diabetic Retinopathy at Lahore General Hospital Lahore

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is the collection of chronic metabolic disease that are all defined by high blood sugar levels with either an inability to make insulin, a resistance to its effect, or both. Objective: To determine the knowledge and self-care practices in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus regarding diabetic retinopathy (DR) and to evaluate the association of socio demographic with knowledge and self-care practices regarding diabetic. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at the endocrine department of Lahore General Hospital. 208 nurses made up the estimated sample size for this investigation. The data were gathered using a convenient sampling technique. Data were analyzed using SPSS version24. Results: The results of study showed that majority of participants 180(86.5%) had poor knowledge regarding diabetic retinopathy and only 28(13.5%) had good knowledge regarding diabetic retinopathy. There was no association between knowledge and socio demographic characteristics of participants as p-value was greater than 0.05. Majority of the participants 132(63.5%) had incompetent practices and only 71(34.1%) had good practices. There was no association between practice and socio demographic characteristics of participants as p-value was greater than 0.05. Conclusions: According to the study's findings, diabetic retinopathy was poorly understood by Type 2 Diabetes mellitus patients. The study's findings also show that there was no correlation between knowledge, self-care behaviors, and participant demographics.

Motivational Interviewing for Enhancing Self-care in Patients With Heart Failure: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Heart failure (HF) is characterized by an increasing prevalence, representing a public health problem and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Self-care is a cornerstone approach for optimizing therapy for patients with HF. Patients play a crucial role in managing their condition, given that several adverse health outcomes might be avoided with adequate self-care. In this regard, the literature describes motivational interviewing (MI) as highly favorable for treating chronic diseases, with promising results supporting its efficacy in enhancing self-care. Moreover, caregivers' availability constitutes a fundamental supporting factor among the strategies to improve self-care behaviors in people with HF. The primary study aim is to test the efficacy of a structured program, including scheduled MI interventions, in improving self-care maintenance in the 3-month follow-up from the enrollment. Secondary aims comprehend the assessment of the effectiveness of the above intervention on secondary outcomes (eg, self-care monitoring, quality of life, sleep disturbance) and the corroboration of the superiority of caregivers' participation to the intervention over the program administrated only to individual patients in enhancing self-care behaviors and other outcomes at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months from the enrollment. This study protocol designed a prospective, parallel-arm, open-label, 3-arm, controlled trial. The MI intervention will be administered by nurses trained in HF self-care and MI; the education program will be provided to nurses by an expert psychologist. Analyses will be performed within the framework of intention-to-treat analysis. Comparisons between groups will be based on an alpha of 5% and 2-tailed null hypotheses. In the case of missingness, analyzing the extent of the missingness and identifying underlying mechanisms and patterns will guide imputation methods. The data collection was started in May 2017. We completed the data collection with the last follow-up in May 2021. We plan to perform data analysis by December 2022. We plan to publish the study results within March 2023. MI enhances potential self-care practices in patients with HF and their caregivers. Although MI is effectively largely employed either alone or combined with other treatments and is administered in different settings and ways, face-to-face interventions seem to be more effective. Dyads with higher shared HF knowledge are more efficient in promoting self-care adherence behaviors. Moreover, patients and caregivers may perceive proximity with health care professionals, resulting in a better ability to follow the received health professionals' directions. The scheduled in-person meetings with patients and caregivers will be exploited to administer MI, respecting all the safety regulations for infection containment. The conduction of this study may support changes in clinical practice to include MI to improve self-care for patients with HF. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05595655; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05595655. DERR1-10.2196/44629.

Effectiveness of educational intervention on knowledge on self care practices following Percutaneous Coronary Interventions

A study to assess the effectiveness of educational intervention on knowledge on self-care practices of patients following percutaneous coronary interventions at KMCH, Coimbatore. Aimed to assess the effectiveness of educational intervention on knowledge on self-care practices following PCI, The study was conducted at KMCH cardiac ward, cardiac day care. The Sample size consisted of 60.Modified General System Theory of Ludwig VonBertalanfy’s Conceptual framework was used. The data collection was done for a period of 6 weeks. Non-probability purposive sampling technique and informed consent was obtained. The investigators collected the demographic data and clinical variables from the patientcase sheet. The self-administered questionnaire was administered to assess the knowledge on self-care practices. After 20 minutes the completed questionnaire was collected back, followed by brief explanation education was given regarding the acute coronary syndrome, management and post PCI self-care practices through computer assisted education. The post assessment of knowledge on self-care practices was measured on patients with regular follow up from 15 days.The post test assessment of knowledge on self care practices shown a statistically significant improvement

IDF2022-0562 Self-care practice of patients with diabetes mellitus visiting a tertiary diabetes center in Kathmandu, Nepal

IDF2022-0562 Self-care practice of patients with diabetes mellitus visiting a tertiary diabetes center in Kathmandu, Nepal

Self-care Practices of Patients With Heart Failure Using Wearable Electronic Devices: A Systematic Review.

Heart failure (HF) is the fastest growing cardiovascular condition globally; associated management costs and hospitalizations place an immense burden on healthcare systems. Wearable electronic devices (WEDs) may be useful tools to enhance HF management and mitigate negative health outcomes. We aimed to perform a systematic review to examine the potential of WEDs to support HF self-care in ambulatory patients at home. Five databases were searched for studies published between 2007 and May 2022, including OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE (OVID), APA PsycINFO (OVID), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (OVID), and CINAHL Plus with Full Text (Ebsco). After 6210 duplicates were removed, 4045 records were screened and 6 were included for review (2 conference abstracts and 4 full-text citations). All studies used WEDs as 1 component of a larger intervention. Outcome measures included quality of life, physical activity, self-efficacy, self-care, functional status, time to readmission, social isolation, and mood. Studies were of moderate to high quality and mixed findings were reported. Enhanced exercise habits and motivational behavior to exercise, as well as decreased adverse symptoms of fatigue and dyspnea, were identified in 2 studies. However, improvements in exercise capacity and increased motivational behavior did not lead to exercise adherence in another 2 studies. The findings from this review suggest that WEDs may be a viable health behavior improvement strategy for patients with HF. However, studies of higher quality, with the primary intervention being a WED, and consistent outcome measures are needed to replicate the positive findings of studies identified in this review.

Study on Assessment of Self-Care Practices in Patients of Non Communicable Diseases in Aligarh

Self care involves all decisions which individuals, families,take for their own health particularly their own physical and mental well being. Staying fit, exercising, avoiding hazardous behavior etc. will all compound to self care. The aim of this study is to find the prevalence of self care practices in patients of Diabetes. A cross sectional study was done in registered villages of Rural Health Training Centre and 316 population was covered. All patients of the selected non communicable diseases above 18 years of age were selected who gave their consent. Self care practice assessment was done by including: Diabetes specific section including SDSCA measure - Summary of Diabetes Self- Care Activities Questionnaire. The findings showed that the prevalence of self-care practices in patients of diabetes was not very high. Slightly more than 50% diabetics were following good levels of self-care practices.Individual levels of self-care practices like medication, physical activity/ exercise, adequate diet, risky behaviours of tobacco intake and alcohol consumption, monitoring blood pressure/ blood sugar/ symptoms of COPD, weight management etc. showed varied prevalence. Mostly the patients with any non-communicable disease were found adherent to their medications. In patients of diabetes; age group, presently attending any health facility for disease management and receiving health care provider’s advice for lifestyle modifications were associated significantly with self-care practices

Behavior of patients with leprosy in disability prevention through patients’ self care: A literature review

Poor self-care in people with leprosy can cause progressive damage because leprosy attacks the peripheral nerves, skin, hands and feet and eyes, so patients need good self-care.It is necessary to increase the active role of sufferers to seek information about leprosy and to increase routine self-care habits to prevent disability. Aim of this study for  reviewing the relevant literature available on the behavior of people with leprosy in preventing disability through patient self-care. Literature study in 2018-2022, data obtained from databases include Scopus, JSTOR, Science Direct with the keywords leprosy, self-care, disability, behavior, and prevention. This literature study found 28 articles that match the criteria inclusion and exclusion. From the review of the article it is known about behavior of people with leprosy in preventing disability through self care of patients. The results of the literature review show that there are five sub-findings, namely factors related to the incidence of leprosy, stigma about leprosy, incidence of disability, self-care practices of patients, and behavior of people with leprosy to prevent disability. Factors related to the incidence of leprosy are age, gender, social contact, care, personal hygiene, knowledge, education, occupation, income, and house density. 

Effect of an Educational Intervention on Knowledge and Self-Care Practices of Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy

Effect of an Educational Intervention on Knowledge and Self-Care Practices of Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy

Perceived self-efficacy and self-care practices among diabetic patients in a Tertiary Hospital, Nepal

Background: Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a major public health problem worldwide and Nepal is not an exception. Complications of DM are in rise which results in major disabilities and poor quality of life. But evidences show that adoption of self-care practices can prevent those complications leading a healthy and quality life. Self-care practice is closely related to self-efficacy. Thus, present study aimed to assess perceived self-efficacy and self-care practices and to examine relationship between perceived self-efficacy and self-care practice of patients with Diabetes. Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study conducted in Patan Hospital among 100 patients was reviewed and approved by Institutional Review Committee. Samples were selected purposively and data was collected by face to face interview technique. Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale and self-care practice questionnaire was used to measure self-efficacy and self-care practice, respectively. Results: Fifty nine percent and 81% of participants had moderate level of perceived self-efficacy and good self-care practice, respectively. There was significant moderate positive (r=0.62, p&lt;0.001) correlation between perceived self-efficacy and self-care practice even after controlling the variables (e.g. age, gender and participation in educational program regarding self-care). Conclusion: The self-efficacy of participants was moderate and self-care practice was good. However, self-care practice was very low on foot care and exercise. The significant positive relationship between perceived self-efficacy and self-care practice highlights the need for conducting educational activities for patients with DM to increase self-efficacy thereby increasing self-care practice.  

Knowledge and Self-Care Practices among Psoriatic Patients in Benha City

Background: Psoriasis is a common, chronic, non-communicable skin disease, with no clear cause or cure. The negative impact of this condition on people’s lives can be immense. Psoriasis affects people of all ages, and in all countries. The reported prevalence of psoriasis in countries ranges between 0.09% and 11.43%, making psoriasis a serious global problem with at least 100 million individuals affected worldwide. Psoriasis has an unpredictable course of symptoms, a number of external triggers and significant comorbidities, including arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and depression. The study aimed to assess knowledge and self-care practices among psoriatic patients. Research design: A descriptive research design was utilized to conduct this study. Setting: The study was conducted at Dermatology Hospital out-patient clinics and Dermatology Out-Patient Clinics of Benha University Hospital in Benha City. Sample: A convenient sample was selected from the above mentioned setting; it included 30 psoriatic patients. Tools: Two main tools. Tool I: A structured interviewing questionnairePart I: A) Socio-demographic characteristic of the psoriatic patients, B) Past medical history of the psoriatic patient, c) Current medical history. Part II: Psoriasis Knowledge Questionnaire (PKQ). Tool II: The patients' self-care practices toward psoriasis. Results: 40% of studied patients aged more than 50 years old, 73,3% of studied patients were males, 56.7% of psoriatic patients had poor total knowledge, While 23.3%of them had a good total knowledge score and 73.3% of studied patients had total unsatisfactory self-care practices score toward psoriasis. Conclusion: there was a positive correlation between the studied patients' total knowledge score and their total self-care practices score regarding psoriasis. Recommendation: Health educational program about psoriasis should be developed and implemented at outpatient clinics to improve patients' knowledge and self-care practices regarding psoriasis.

Does Patients' Perception Affect Self-Care Practices? The Perspective of Health Belief Model.

BackgroundPoor lifestyle choices contribute to the continued growth of chronic illness and disability. Patients with diabetes require continuous self-care choices and management to minimize the short- and long-term impact of the disease. This study aimed at assessing the use of the health belief model to describe self-care practices among patients with diabetes.MethodsAn institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2019 in Gondar City, Northwest Ethiopia. A total of 396 diabetics patients were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. Pretested, structured, and interview administered questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected data were analyzed using STATA 14. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to identify the factors associated with self-care behavior. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and p-values <0.05 were used to declare statistical association.ResultsHealth belief model described 48% of the variance in self-care practices of patients with diabetes. More than half (55.6%) of diabetic patients had good self-care practice. Of the participants, 45.8% and 49.9% had low perceived susceptibility and perceived severity, respectively. The strongest correlation was found between cues to action and perceived severity of health belief model constructs (P<0.001). Formal education, longer duration of diabetes, high social support, high perceived severity, and high self-efficacy contributed to good self-care practices, whereas comorbidities, high perceived benefit, and high perceived barrier were associated with poor self-care practices.ConclusionSelf-care practice of diabetes patients in Gondar City was considerably low. Health professionals need to strengthen delivering tailored health messages on the benefit self-care practices and means of overcoming the potential barriers. Health communication programs are also better to consider for individuals with comorbidities, lack of social support, and lower education.

Knowledge and practice of foot self-care among patients with diabetes attending primary healthcare centres in Kuwait: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundDiabetes mellitus is a major public health issue and is the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. At the time of diagnosis, many patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have one or two risk factors for diabetic foot diseases, such as diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). Patients can overcome such complications through good knowledge and practice of foot self-care. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge and practice of foot care among patients with diabetes mellitus attending primary healthcare centres (PHCs) in Kuwait and to identify those at risk for developing DPN. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using a pre-tested self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire included questions on demographic characteristics and patients’ knowledge and practices of foot care. Adult patients (aged 21 and above) with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus for at least 1 year were randomly selected from PHCs located in the five governorates of Kuwait. Data were analysed using SPSS, version 26. ResultsA total of 357 patients participated in this study, giving a response rate of 87.3%. The overall mean knowledge score of foot care was 12.7 ± 2.7 (equals 81.3%). Most patients (n = 283, 79.3%) showed good knowledge. In comparison, less than one-third of patients (n = 110, 30.8%) practiced good foot care. The overall mean score of patients’ practices was 55.7 ± 9.2 (equals 64.0%). Approximately 17.4% of the patients had a higher risk of developing DPN. University students had lower odds of having good knowledge about foot care [OR: 0.19 (95%CI: 0.04–0.86)]. On the other hand, patients who reported having diabetes for a long duration (10 years and above) [OR: 1.88 (95%CI: 1.11–3.18)] and patients who did not have any other comorbidities [OR: 0.49 (95%CI: 0.26–0.90)] had higher odds of having good foot care knowledge. Patients who were on oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHAs) only had lower odds [OR: 0.63 (95%CI: 0.39–1.00)] of practicing good foot care. Patients who reported having diabetes for a duration between 5 to less than 10 years [OR: 1.75 (95%CI: 1.06–2.90)] and those who are on a diet only [OR: 1.76 (95%CI: 1.06–2.94)] had higher odds of practicing good foot care. Patients who were using combination therapy with OHAs and insulin had a higher risk [OR: 2.67 (95%CI: 1.11–6.41)] of developing DPN. On the other hand, patients who reported that they did not have a previous history of foot ulcer had a lower risk of developing DPN [OR: 0.21 (95%CI: 0.09–0.47)]. ConclusionThe knowledge of patients with diabetes regarding foot care is rated as good, while their self-practice is considered satisfactory. To improve the foot care knowledge and self-care practice of patients, healthcare providers (HCPs) need to support patients through educational programmes and appropriate training.

A quality improvement project to improve diabetes self-management and patient satisfaction in a low-resourced central Kenyan hospital.

There is limited evidence about effective strategies for promoting culturally congruent diabetes education in low-resourced primary-care settings. This project, conducted in Central Kenya, examined the effect of an intervention on provider practices and patients' knowledge of diabetes self-care management. The intervention consisted of short (30-minute) sessions that offered providers evidenced-based, culturally congruent diabetes education and teaching materials to use with patients. A checklist was used to assess providers' diabetes care practices at baseline and post intervention. Data from semi-structured patient interviews assessed patients' diabetes knowledge at baseline and post intervention. Providers and patients also completed post-intervention satisfaction surveys. Six providers and 74 patients participated in the project. Statistical analysis was completed using SPSS. Significant increases were noted in patients' post-intervention overall diabetes knowledge score (p=.05) and the foot care knowledge subscale (p=.02). No significant differences were noted between patients' baseline and post-intervention scores in the general diabetes (p=.86) or nutrition knowledge (p=.32) subscales. These findings suggest supporting providers with culturally congruent tools and resources about diabetes care guidelines can improve knowledge of self-care practices in patients with diabetes.

SELF CARE PRACTICES OF PATIENTS WITH LUMBAR DISC PROLAPSE IN THE POSTOPERATIVE PERIOD

Background: Self care practices affect the progress of many diseases including lumbar disc prolapse.    This study aimed to assess self care practices of patients with lumbar disc prolapse in the post operative period. Setting: This study conducted at neuro-surgery department and outpatient clinic at Azhar university hospital in New Damietta city. A convenience sample of 124 adult patients diagnosed with lumbar disc prolapse were included in the study.  Tool of data collection: data collected using structured interview questionnaire, it included four parts: demographic data, medical and surgical history, pain intensity and follow up and Self-care practices of patients with lumbar disc prolapse. Results: The result of present study showed that 100% of the studied  patients  felt  pain when doing an activity and 72.6 % of them had unsatisfactory self care practicesin the post operative period.  Conclusion: More than two third of the studied patients need improve self care practices regarding to unsatisfactory self care practices and there wasn't statistically significance relation between demographic data and self care practices. Recommendations: Design patient educational materials include proper self care practices of patients with lumbar disc prolapse in the post operative period . The health education program should be tailored every patient's individual needs .

Self-care practices and needs in patients with hypertension, diabetes, or both in rural Uganda: a mixed-methods study

BackgroundThe prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is increasing in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Implementation and adaptation of recommended self-care practices is crucial for successful management of NCDs to prevent complications. However, little is known about self-care practices in patients living in rural sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we aimed to understand patients' adherence to self-care practices for hypertension, diabetes, or both, in rural Uganda and their reasons for non-adherence. MethodsWe conducted a mixed-methods study in adult patients previously diagnosed with diabetes or hypertension, or both, who attended outpatient NCD clinics at three health facilities in Nakaseke district. We concurrently collected quantitative data from a random sample of patients using pretested, structured questionnaires and held focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of patients. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the quantitative data. Qualitative analysis was conducted using a thematic approach. FindingsBetween April and August, 2019, we administered questionnaires and carried out six focus group discussions and 19 in-depth interviews with 385 participants. Mean age was 54·0 years (SD 14·57) and most respondents, 257 (66·8%), were female. Of the 385 participants, 39·2% (151) had diabetes; 36·9% (142) had hypertension, and 23·9% (92) had both conditions. Most respondents reported daily adherence to medication for hypertension (79·5% [186/234]) and diabetes (84·8% [206/243]). Few participants (15·6% [60/385]) reported daily vigorous physical activity, but 63·1% (243/385) reported moderate physical activity at least once per week. Most respondents reported adherence to recommendations for dietary changes (75·6% [291/385]), non-smoking (98·7% [380/385]), alcohol abstinence (90·1% [347/385]), and weight management (75·6% [291/385]). From the interviews and discussions, patients reported that they tried to adhere to recommended medications but were limited by the inability to obtain them. Most patients reported irregular self-monitoring and many reported confusion about recommended practices due to mixed messages, mainly from their peers. Respondents also reported use of herbal remedies, soaking swollen feet in salt water, and coping with stress through prolonged sleep, social isolation, and alcohol use. InterpretationVaried self-care practices exist among rural Ugandan NCD patients. Patients inconsistently engage in recommended practices because of uncertain access to medicines, structural barriers, and inconsistent messaging. Locally adapted educational self-care programmes and consistent access to medicines could help improve self-care in these patients. As low-income countries like Uganda continue to advance their NCD policies, specific attention should be focused on strategies to ensure equitable access to essential NCD medicines. Additionally, the unique circumstances of people living in rural settings should be taken into account when developing programmes for management of NCDs. FundingYale Institute of Global Health Hecht Global Health Faculty Network Award