Effect of spiritual care on the quality of life in patients who underwent intracranial hemorrhage surgery: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Introduction: One of the most important complications of stroke after intracranial haemorrhage surgery is impaired quality of life. This study was conducted to determine the impact of spiritual care on the quality of life of stroke patients. Methods: This single-blind clinical trial with a pre-test and post-test design was conducted on 100 stroke patients. Participants were recruited and randomly assigned to a control group and an intervention group. The stroke-specific quality of life (SS -QoL) scale was used to assess the quality of life of stroke patients. The intervention group received four sessions of spiritual care. Results: The independent t-test showed no significant difference between the two groups in the mean quality of life score (t=−0.120, P=0.281) and its dimensions before the intervention. However, after the intervention, the results showed a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean quality of life score (t=1.984, P<0.001) and its dimensions. In addition, the results of the paired t-test showed that in the intervention group, the mean score of quality of life (t=5.161, P<0.001) and its dimensions were significantly different before and after the intervention. Furthermore, the results showed that before and after the intervention in the control group, the mean score of quality of life (t=1.109, P=0.614) and its dimensions were not significantly different. Conclusions: Based on this results, the authors strongly recommend the use of spiritual care as a holistic care and complementary method to improve the symptoms and quality of life of stroke patients.