The effect of a self-care program based on the teach back method on the postpartum quality of life

BACKGROUND The postpartum period is a critical stage of life with major changes in the quality of life. Therefore, special consideration is needed to this issue. OBJECTIVE To determine the effect of a self-care program based on the Teach Back method on the postpartum quality of life. METHODS This experimental study was conducted on eighty postpartum women who had given birth in health centers across Darreh Shahr County, Ilam Province, Iran in 2016. The control group received only routine postpartum care according to the national guidelines. The trial group received the routine care in addition to two sessions of physical and psychological postpartum self-care based on the Teach Back method. The two groups were assessed in terms of their quality of life before and after the intervention using the Postpartum Quality of Life Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. Descriptive statistic tests, Chi squared, independent-samples t-test, paired-samples t-test, Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney's test was used. RESULTS Before the intervention, the postpartum quality of life score was 106.23±11.866 in the trial group and 107.30±13.197 in the control group; after the intervention, the score was 124.73±10.706 and 115.03±12.687 in the two groups respectively, suggesting a significant inter-group difference after the intervention (p<0.001). Significant differences were also observed between the two groups in terms of the mother's feelings toward herself, toward her child and toward her spouse and others, and physical health before and after the intervention (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Using the Teach Back model for a self-care program appears to dramatically improve the postpartum quality of life and is therefore recommended as a useful method for postpartum care. TRIAL REGISTRATION The trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (http://www.irct.ir) with the Irct ID: IRCT2015012820854N1. FUNDING The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.