The Impact of Telenursing in Elderlies with Myocardial Infarction Based on a Self- care Program: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background Self-care and medication adherence are key factors in the management of patients with myocardial infarction (MI), but many patients face challenges in this field and need new care approaches. This study, based on a self-care program, aimed to determine the effect of telenursing on self-efficacy and adherence to medication in Elderlies with MI. Methods This study was a randomized clinical trial. Sixty-two Elderly with MI were randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. The intervention group received an in-person session (30-60 minutes), telephone follow-up (8 calls in a month), and educational text messages, and the control group received routine care only. The research tools were a cognitive test of the Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT), and questionnaires used before and four weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using paired t-test and ANCOVA by IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. Results : At the posttest measurement, results of the ANCOVA showed a significantly higher self-efficacy scores for the intervention group compared to the control group after adjusting for the pretest scores (F _{(1, 52)} =67.31, P<0.001, η ² _P =0.564). The similar result was obtained for medication adherence (F _{(1, 52)} =77.39, P<0.001, η ² _P =0.598). The effect sizes, calculated using partial eta squared, were 0.564 and 0.598, which are considered to be large. Conclusion Telenursing based on a self-care program significantly increases self-efficacy and medication adherence in elderly with MI, and it is recommended that telenursing programs be expanded in healthcare systems to promote self-care and medication adherence. Clinical Trial Registration : https://irct.behdasht.gov.ir/user/trial/76806/view. IrCTR registry, IRCT20240416061511N1/ Registration Date: 2024-05-23