Abstract
Patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer undergo a diverse variety of needs that influence their quality of life (QoL). The present study aimed to investigate the effect of self-care nurturance on the QoL of patients with upper gastrointestinal cancers. This randomized, 2-group clinical trial was conducted at Qaem Hospital during 2019-2020, in Mashhad, Iran. A total of 46 patients were allocated into 2 groups randomly. At the time of hospitalization, the intervention group received care based on the modeling and role-modeling theory for at least 3 sessions individually. Participants were given 3 telephone counseling sessions each week for up to 2 months. In the control group, patients received educational pamphlets. The demographic and general QoL (EORTC QLQ-C30) questionnaires were utilized to collect data. Data were analyzed with SPSS 25. The results showed that the intervention and control groups were homogenous in all demographic characteristics (P > .05). The data revealed the total QoL significantly improved 1 month (P = .002) and 2 months (P < .001) after the intervention in the intervention compared with the control group. Self-care nurturance would empower patients to achieve new living experiences by enhancing their QoL.