THE EFFECT OF FOLLOW-UP NURSE PLAN ON THE LEVEL OF SELF-CARE AND HEALTH ANXIETY OF PREGNANT MOTHERS WITH DIABETES

Nowadays, the continuous follow-up of individuals with chronic diseases has become one of the most critical challenges for healthcare systems. One potential solution is the implementation of a follow-up nurse plan. This study aimed to determine the impact of the follow-up nurse plan on the self-care and health anxiety of pregnant women with diabetes attending Bint-ul-Hadi Bajnour Medical Center.

This was a pre-post quasi-experimental study with a comparison group conducted on 70 pregnant women with gestational diabetes attending Bint-ul-Hadi Bajnour Hospital in 2023. The participants were selected using convenience sampling. Data collection tools included the Demographic Information Questionnaire, the Standard Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA), and the Salkovskis et al. Health Anxiety Inventory. The intervention group underwent a 12-week follow-up nursing plan. Data were analyzed using paired t-tests, Chi-square, Mann-Whitney statistical tests, and SPSS version 23.0.

The results showed that the mean age of participants in the intervention and control groups was 28.74±7.17 years and 29.46±5.61 years, respectively. The mean total self-care score in the intervention group was 76.60±36.60 before and 73.63±7.16 after the intervention. In the control group, it was 34.54±8.48 before the intervention and 29.26 ± 7.02 after the intervention. The mean total health anxiety score in the control group was 31.43 ± 5.80 before the intervention and 48 ± 6.18 after the intervention. In the intervention group, it was34.43±15.61 before and 22.17±12.572 after the intervention, which was statistically significant (p= 0.000).

The follow-up nurse plan can be an effective method of promoting self-care and reducing health anxiety in pregnant women with diabetes. Therefore, health system managers and policymakers are recommended to use this method in planning the care of these patients.