Self Care Behaviors in Patients after Myocardial Infarction

Introduction: One of determining and effective factors in health maintenance and prevention of progression of signs and symptoms of disease after heart attack is self care behaviors. The self care behaviors which can start after passing the acute period of disease has special importance in health maintanance and its recurrence. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine self care behavior of patients after myocardial infarction during 30 days after discharge. Method: This is a cross sectional study and its samples were 132 patients after myocardial infarction who entered to study sequentially. Data collection was done in 15th and 30th days after MI by questioner from June 2011 to January 2012. Analysis was done by descriptive and inferential statistics such as Mann-whitney and Kruskal-wallis tests in SPSS version 19. &nbsp;Results: The results of this study showed the majority of patients (72%) were adhered to self care behaviors at 15th day but at 30th, 84.1 percent not adhered to these behaviors. Significant difference was showed in adherence of self care behaviors (p<0.0001) and its dimensions (diet regimen, physical activity, stressor modification and smoking) at those days (p<0. 001) but not in medication adherence. Conclusion: In attention to decrease of mean score of selfcare behavores in 30th day after myocardial infarction than in 15th day, it seems proper teaching about self care and the importance of its continuity should be presented.