Assessing patients’ therapeutic self-care ability allows nurses to initialize care and implement interventions to enhance their self-care abilities. However, sociocultural beliefs and determinants can affect patients’ self-care practices. This study determined perceived therapeutic self-care ability of patients in surgical units in Pakistan. A survey was conducted using a purposive sample 511 patients admitted to surgical units for at least 24 hours. Data were collected using the Urdu version of Therapeutic Self-Care Measure. The mean self-care ability score was 20.05 ± 4.3. Patients felt more prepared to take their medications, but less prepared to respond to any unforeseeable physical changes. Significant difference was found between self-care ability of male (20.68 ± 4.15) and female (19.18 ± 4.27) (p < .001) patients. A weak negative correlation was found between patient age and self-care ability (r = −0.15, p = .001). Self-care ability assessment should be included in routine discharge planning, and nurses should provide more tailored self-care discharge education to surgical patients.
AbateT. W.TarekeM.TirfieM. (2018). Self-care practices and associated factors among diabetes patients attending the outpatient department in Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia. BMC Research Notes, 11(1), 800. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-018-3874-8
2.
AdemeS.AgaF.GelaD. (2019). Hypertension self-care practice and associated factors among patients in public health facilities of Dessie town, Ethiopia. BMC Health Services Research, 19(1), 51. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-3880-0
3.
AjaniK.GowaniA.GulR.PetruckaP. (2021). Levels and predictors of self-care among patients with hypertension in Pakistan. International Journal of General Medicine, 14, 1023–1032. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S297770
4.
AusiliD.ReboraP.Di MauroS.RiegelB.ValsecchiM. G.PaturzoM.AlvaroR.VelloneE. (2016). Clinical and socio-demographic determinants of self-care behaviours in patients with heart failure and diabetes mellitus: A multicentre cross-sectional study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 63, 18–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2016.08.006
5.
CarlsonB.RiegelB.MoserD. K. (2001). Self-care abilities of patients with heart failure. Heart & Lung, 30(5), 351–359. https://doi.org/10.1067/mhl.2001.118611
6.
ChaboyerW.RingdalM.AitkenL.KendallE. (2013). Self-care after traumatic injury and the use of the therapeutic self care scale in trauma populations. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 69(2), 286–294. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2012.06005.x
7.
ChrissP. M.SheposhJ.CarlsonB.RiegelB. (2004). Predictors of successful heart failure self-care maintenance in the first three months after hospitalization. Heart & Lung, 33(6), 345–353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrtlng.2004.03.004
8.
DoranD.HarrisonM. B.LaschingerH.HirdesJ.RukholmE.SidaniS.HallL. M.TourangeauA. E.CranleyL. (2006b). Relationship between nursing interventions and outcome achievement in acute care settings. Research in Nursing & Health, 29(1), 61–70. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20110
9.
DoranD. M.HarrisonM. B.LaschingerH. S.HirdesJ. P.RukholmE.SidaniS.HallL. M.TourangeauA. E. (2006a). Nursing-sensitive outcomes data collection in acute care and longterm-care settings. Nursing Research, 55(Suppl. 1), S75–S81.
10.
DumitN. Y.AbboudS.MassouhA.MagilvyJ. K. (2015). Role of the Lebanese family caregivers in cardiac self-care: A collective approach. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 24(21-22), 3318–3326. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.12949
11.
GiordanoV.NicolottiM.CorveseF.VelloneE.AlvaroR.VillaG. (2020). Describing self-care and its associated variables in ostomy patients. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 76(11), 2982–2992. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14499
12.
GreavesC. J.CampbellJ. L. (2007). Supporting self-care in general practice. British Journal of General Practice, 57(543), 814–821.
13.
HafeezM. (2014). Poverty and poor health in Pakistan: Exploring the effects of privatizing healthcare. Harvard International Review, 35, 4.
14.
HeoS.MoserD. K.LennieT. A.RiegelB.ChungM. L. (2008). Gender differences in and factors related to self-care behaviors: A cross-sectional, correlational study of patients with heart failure. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 45(12), 1807–1815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2008.05.008
15.
KangE.GillespieB. M.TobianoG.ChaboyerW. (2018). Discharge education delivered to general surgical patients in their management of recovery post discharge: A systematic mixed studies review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 87, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2018.07.004
16.
KimE. J.HanK. S. (2020). Factors related to self-care behaviours among patients with diabetic foot ulcers. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(9-10), 1712–1722. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15215
17.
LimS. H.ChanS. W.HeH. G. (2015). Patients’ experiences of performing self-care of stomas in the initial postoperative period. Cancer Nursing, 38(3), 185–193. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCC.0000000000000158
18.
Lovén WickmanU.Yngman-UhlinP.HjortswangH.RiegelB.StjernmanH.Hollman FrismanG. (2016). Self-care among patients with inflammatory bowel disease: An interview study. Gastroenterology Nursing, 39(2), 121–128. https://doi.org/10.1097/SGA.0000000000000120
19.
MassouhA.Abu Saad HuijerH.MeekP.SkouriH. (2020). Determinants of self-care in patients with heart failure: Observations from a developing country in the middle east. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 31, 294–303. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043659619865587
20.
MlynarskaA.GolbaK. S.MlynarskiR. (2018). Capability for self-care of patients with heart failure. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 13, 1919–1927. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S178393
21.
ModarresiM.GholamiS.HabibiP.Ghadiri-AnariA. (2020). Relationship between self care management with glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 11, 127. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijpvm.ijpvm_207_19
22.
OremD. (2001). Nursing: Concepts of practice (6th ed.). Mosby.
23.
OsokpoO.RiegelB. (2021). Cultural factors influencing self-care by persons with cardiovascular disease: An integrative review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 116, 103383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.06.014
24.
PintoA.FaizO.DavisR.AlmoudarisA.VincentC. (2016). Surgical complications and their impact on patients’ psychosocial well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 6(2), e007224. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2014-007224
25.
PolitD. F.BeckC. T. (2006). The content validity index: Are you sure you know What’s being reported? Critique and recommendations. Research in Nursing & Health, 29(5), 489–497. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20147
26.
PolitD. F.YangF. (2016). Measurement and the measurement of change: A primer for the health professions. Wolters Kluwer.
27.
RichardA. A. (2016). Psychometric testing of the Sidani and Doran therapeutic self-care scale in a home health care population. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 24(1), 92–107. https://doi.org/10.1891/1061-3749.24.1.92
28.
RiegelB.DunbarS. B.FitzsimonsD.FreedlandK. E.LeeC. S.MiddletonS.StrombergA.VelloneE.WebberD. E.JaarsmaT. (2021). Self-care research: Where are we now? Where are we going?International Journal of Nursing Studies, 116, 103402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2019.103402
29.
SidaniS. (2011). Self-care. In DoranD. M. (Ed.), Nursing outcomes: The state of the science (2nd ed., pp. 79–130). Jones & Bartlett.
30.
SidaniS.DoranD. I. (2014). Development and validation of a self-care ability measure. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research, 46(1), 11–25.
31.
StreinerD. L.NormanG. R.CairneyJ. (2015). Health measurement scales: A practical guide to their development and use. Oxford University Press.
32.
SuhonenR.Leino-KilpiH. (2006). Adult surgical patients and the information provided to them by nurses: A literature review. Patient Education and Counseling, 61(1), 5–15.
33.
SundsliK.SöderhamnU.EspnesG. A.SöderhamnO. (2012). Ability for self-care in urban living older people in southern Norway. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 5, 85–95. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S29388
34.
SunW.DoranD. M.WodchisW. P.PeterE. (2017). Examining the relationship between therapeutic self-care and adverse events for home care clients in Ontario, Canada: A retrospective cohort study. BMC Health Services Research, 17(1), 206. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-017-2103-9
35.
TewahidoD.BerhaneY. (2017). Self-care practices among diabetes patients in Addis Ababa: A qualitative study. PLoS One, 12(1), e0169062. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0169062
36.
YounasA. (2017a). A foundational analysis of Dorothea Orem’s self-care theory and evaluation of its significance for nursing practice and research. Creative Nursing, 23(1), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.1891/1078-4535.23.1.13
37.
YounasA. (2017b). Relational inquiry approach: Nursing practice in Pakistan - a case study. Nursing Science Quarterly, 30(4), 336–340. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894318417724458
38.
YounasA.PorrC. (2018). A step-by-step approach to developing scales for survey research. Nurse Researcher, 26(3), 14–19. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.2018.e1585
39.
ZebH.YounasA.AhmedI.AliA. (2021). Self-care experiences of Pakistani patients with COPD and the role of family in self-care: A phenomenological inquiry. Health & Social Care in the Community, 29(5), e174–e183. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13264
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
