title: Effect of self-care education on the quality of life in patients with breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Iranian women. Although survival rate of breast cancer patients has been increased some distresses affect the patients' quality of life negatively. the effectiveness of self-care education, particularly in the sociocultural context of Iran, has not been adequately investigated.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims at evaluating the effectiveness of nurse-led self-care education program on quality of life in this patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A controlled trial as pretest and posttest design was conducted in Sayyed-Al-Shohada Hospital in Isfahan in 2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty patients with breast cancer were assigned to either the nurse-led self-care education program (n = 30), or to routine care (n = 30). Quality of life was measured at the time of recruitment and also 3 months after the intervention by the instrument of the National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were analyzed by SPSS (version 16) software using T-independent, T-paired and χ(2), and Fisher's exact tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intervention group had significantly greater improvements in quality of life status (P < 0.05). Furthermore, self-care education caused a significant increase in the quality of life score related to physical (P = 0.00), psychological (P = 0.00), social (P = 0.00), and emotional (P = 0.00) dimensions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quality of life in patients with breast cancer can be improved by participating in a nurse-led self-care education program. It is suggested that self-care education to be added to the routine nursing care delivered to these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hooman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shahsavari
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Arak University of Medical Science, Arak, Iran.
authors.forename: Pegah
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Matory
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zare
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Fariba
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Taleghani
authors.affiliation: Young Researcher Club, Department of Nursing, Islamic Azad University branch of Isfahan (Khorasgan), Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Akbari
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Kaji
keywords: Breast cancer; quality of life; self-care education