The Effect of Self-Care Training for Health Ambassadors on The Number of Doctor Appointment Due to The Treatment of Minor Ailments

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of self-care training for family health ambassadors on the number of doctor appointment for the treatment of minor ailments.

In this interventional study were surveyed 400 families. This study was performed in 2018-2019.The intervention group included families that had a health ambassador and the intervention was performed for health ambassadors. Data collection tool was a questionnaire designed by the Office of Education and Health Promotion of the Ministry of Health. Demographic information and the number of appointment to the doctor were also asked.According to the titles of the educational text and the family age groups, trainings were provided to health ambassadors once every 2 weeks for a year. Total of 24 training sessions were held by the health care providers of the selected health centers. The questionnaires were completed, one year after the intervention again.

Mean and standard deviation of test scores in the experimental group were upgraded before and after the intervention in the field of mothers and infants from 5 (± 2.9) to 22 (± 7.1), children from 5.7 (±1 4.1) to 19.6 (±6.6), adults and the elderly were from 2 (±1) to 9.4 (± 2.9) and adolescents from 2.1 (±1.80).Also, the number of appointments to the doctor due to minor illnesses decreased significantly in the intervention group during the year, so that from 888 appointments to the doctor by family members of trained health ambassadors before the intervention was reduced to 379 times after the intervention.(p<0.05).

Continuous self-care training along with following up and training family health ambassadors play an important role in increasing public awareness and reducing the number of unnecessary appointments to the doctor.
Keywords: Health ambassadors, Self-care, Minor ailments, Education, Reduce appointment to the doctor.