Effect of a supportive-educational program, based on COPE model, on 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 most common and spreading diseases worldwide. As HF symptoms progress, it is affected the quality of life and the caregiver burden of the family. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the supportive-educational program, based on the COPE (creativity, optimism, planning and expert advice) 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 Isfahan in 2021. The samples 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 in six sessions during one month. 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 regarding gender, but This confounding factor had no significant effect on the two components of quality of life and caregiver burden. There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of the mean score of quality of life immediately(75.99),and three months after the intervention (78.78) (P < 0.05) and the mean score of care burden, immediately (16.60) and three months after the intervention (12.73) (P < 0.05). Conclusions One of the important duties of nurses is to implement educational-supportive programs for patients after the discharge of patients, These programs are family-oriented remotely for their caregivers.