The Impact of Continuous Care Model on the Quality of Life of patients with Thalassemia Major: A Clinical Trial Study

Abstract

Background:  Major thalassemia has a significant impact on the personal performance and life of the affected person and leads to reduced quality of life of the patient. One of the ways to improve quality of life is to use the Continuous Care Model (CCM). Aim: This study aimed to determine the impact of CCM on the QoL of patients with thalassemia major. Method: A clinical trial was performed with 60 thalassemia patients referred to Aliasghar Hospital in Zahedan. Eligible candidates were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups (n=30 per group). Data collection tools comprised a demographics, the quality of life questionnaire WHOQOL-BREF, and self-control checklist. The continuous care model was administered for the intervention group. The program initiated with the orientation and sensitization sessions in the hospital (six educational sessions) followed by the control phase(three months twice weekly by phone and in person) and the evaluation step(one and three months after the care model was administered).No intervention was performed in the control group. Data analysis was performed   through IBM SPSS Statistics 21. Results: There was no significant difference between intervention and control groups concerning the mean score of QoL and its dimensions before the intervention (P>0.05).One and three months after the implementation of the model, It has seen a significant difference between intervention and control groups concerning the mean score of QoL and its dimensions (P<0.05). Implications for Practice: The finding indicated that the CCM improves the QoL in  patients  with  major thalassemia. The model can be suggested as an intervention in nursing care to increase patients’ QoL