Effect of supportive educational intervention on knowledge and quality of life among women with uterine fibroids

Abstract

Background: Uterine fibroids (UFs) are a common gynecological problem among reproductive-age women and lead to poor quality of life (QOL). This research aimed to evaluate the effect of a supportive educational intervention on knowledge and QOL among women with UFs. Methods: This quasi-experimental study (1 group/pre- and posttest), including supportive education intervention, was performed at the outpatient clinic, Gynecological Department, Benha University Hospital. The samples consisted of 100 women diagnosed with UFs. Three tools were used for data collection: a structured interviewing questionnaire, women's knowledge regarding UFs, and health-related QOL (HRQOL) questionnaire. Results: There was a highly statistically significant difference in women’s knowledge of UFs before and after the intervention (P = 0.0001). In addition, women had a high level of QOL score after the intervention. Moreover, there was a highly positive association between total women's knowledge and QOL score (P = 0.0001). Based on the pre- and post-intervention results, the mean difference for the variables of “total score of severity symptoms” and “total HRQL score” was -6.25 and +12.38. Conclusion: Educational intervention has a positive effect on improving women's knowledge and enhancing QOL regarding UFs. It is suggested that an educational program should be incorporated as a nursing intervention to improve women's knowledge and QOL for those with UFs.

Keywords

• quality of life
• knowledge
• uterine fibroids
• supportive education