Development and effects of a self-management efficacy promotion program for adult patients with congenital heart disease

Background: With the recent advances in medicine, patients with congenital heart disease are surviving to adulthood. Adults with congenital heart disease must practice self-management to recognize the symptoms of complications and the appropriate response. Aims: The purpose of this study was to develop a self-management efficacy promotion program for adults with congenital heart disease and to test the effects of the developed program on disease-related knowledge, self-management implementation and health-related quality of life. Methods: A non-equivalent, control group, pre–post test design was used. The intervention group received the self-management efficacy promotion program for six weeks. The control group received only the usual care. Results: The study results showed that disease-related knowledge (F=91.095, p<0.001) was significantly different between the two groups, as was the self-management performance (F=11.846, p<0.001). However, health-related quality of life (generic core scale: F=0.023, p=0.881, cardiac module scale: F=0.174, p=0.678) was not significantly different between groups. Conclusion: The self-management efficacy promotion program for adults with congenital heart disease had a significant effect on disease-related knowledge and self-management implementation, but did not affect health-related quality of life.