The Effect of Self-Care Education With The Telenursing Approach On Health-Promoting Behaviors In Multiple Sclerosis Patients During The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Clinical Trial Study (preprint)

Introduction: Chronic conditions of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are associated with a decrease in health-promoting behaviors and require appropriate nursing interventions. Due to limitations of face-to-face education during the COVID-19 pandemic, telenursing can play an essential role in providing education to patients. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of self-care education with telenursing approach on health-promoting behaviors in MS patients. Materials: and methods: In this clinical trial, 68 patients of the Jahrom MS Society randomly assigned to intervention (n = 34) and control (n = 34) groups. For patients in the intervention group, educational sessions were held three days a week for six weeks. Data were collected using demographic information and Walker's Health-Promoting Lifestyle questionnaires at two stages before and immediately after the intervention. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon tests using SPSS software (Ver. 21). Results: : Based on the findings immediately after the intervention, the mean score of HPBs was significantly higher (p = 0.005) in the intervention group (145.38 ± 26.66) than in the control group (129.18 ± 22.35). Significant differences were observed regarding the mean dimensions of nutrition, exercise, health responsibility, and stress management between the intervention and control groups immediately after the intervention (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings, self-care education with the telenursing approach was effective on HPBs in MS patients. Therefore, it is recommended to utilize self-care education with the telenursing approach to control effective behaviors in MS patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.