Investigating the effectiveness of the supportive-educational program, based on COPE model, on the quality of life and caregiver burden of family caregivers of heart failure patients: A randomized clinical trial study

Background: Heart failure (HF) is one of the common and spreading diseases in the world, especially in developing countries. As HF symptoms progress, the need for care by the family increases in these people, so that it affects the quality of life and the caregiver burden of the family. The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of the supportive-educational program, based on COPE care model, on the quality of life and caregiver burden of family caregivers of HF patients. Method: This clinical trial was conducted on 90 caregivers of HF patients admitted to Chamran Hospital of Isfahan in 2021. Patients were selected using convenience sampling method and were divided into experimental (n=45 people) and control (n=45 people) groups based on random allocation (card method). The experimental group received problem-solving skills based on the four components of the COPE model (creativity, optimism, planning and expert advice) in six sessions during one month. In order to collect data, the 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) and the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) were used in two groups before, after and three months after the intervention. Results: : There was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of gender (p0.05). There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of mean scores of quality of life and care burden, immediately (75.99, 16.60) and three months after the intervention, respectively (78.78, 12.73) (p<0.05). Conclusions: : The results of the present study showed that the COPE model plays a significant role in increasing the quality of life and reducing the caregiver burden of caregivers of HF patients. Trial registration: This study is registered by Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with decree code: IRCT20211128053202N1on 2022-02-20.