Effect of a Program Based on the Orem Self-Care Model on Sleep Quality of Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Background Many patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a type of sleep disorder. Objectives The current study aimed to investigate the effect of implementing a program based on the Orem self-care model on sleep quality of patients with MS. Patients and Methods Seventy eight patients referred to the multiple sclerosis association of Zahedan city, Iran, enrolled in the current randomized controlled trial conducted in 2015. The demographics form and Pittsburgh sleep quality index were completed by the patients. The selected patients were then randomly allocated into intervention and control groups (n = 39 for each group). An instructional program consisted of nine, 45 minutes sessions was performed in the intervention group. Afterwards, a three-month follow-up was performed after intervention. When the follow-up ended, the two groups completed the Pittsburgh sleep quality index again. Descriptive statistical tests, independent t-test, Chi-square test and paired t-test were used to analyze the data. Results Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to mean scores of sleep quality (P = 0.22). Both groups reported a significant improvement in sleep quality three months after intervention (P < 0.05). However, mean score changes of sleep quality before and three months after the intervention were significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group (P = 0.004), indicating a greater sleep quality improvement in the intervention than the control group. Conclusions The Orem-based self-care model program can be a useful tool to improve sleep quality of patients with MS. Future studies can be directed to investigate the effects of such interventions on other common problems of patients