The effect of an educational app on hemodialysis patients’ self-efficacy and self-care: A quasi-experimental longitudinal study

Abstract

Objective Adequate self-care and exploring ways to improve it is imperative for patients with hemodialysis in order to meet the challenges arising from hemodialysis. This study aimed to determine the effect of an educational app on patients with hemodialysis’ self-efficacy and self-care. Methods The present study is a quasi-experimental longitudinal single-group study, carried out from October 2020 to March 2021 with the participation of 60 Patients with hemodialysis. Simple random sampling was used to sample patients. The intervention included an educational application, and participants completed questionnaires on self-efficacy and self-care performance at four points including baseline and at one, three, and six-month intervals post- intervention. Two-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used to examine the impact of the intervention. Bonferroni's posthoc test was also used for in-class calculation and comparison of changes over various periods. Results The results of this study showed that the self-care performance of patients at different times was statistically significant (P <0.001). Also, the results showed that the mean total score of self-efficacy in the second period compared to the first was significantly improved (P <0.001). But the trend of changes in the third period compared to the second and the fourth to the third was not significant (p = 0.1 and p = .82). Also, a significant change was observed in the fourth period compared to the first (p = .029). Conclusions The study showed that education through a mobile app can result in significant improvements in these patients’ self-care behaviors and self-efficacy over time. The educational intervention should be provided to patients with hemodialysis over a several-month period to allow for proper integration of the learning.