Effect of Self-Care Education on Self-Care Ability Among Post-Stroke Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Background: Stroke is a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide. Enhancing self-care ability is essential for improving outcomes and reducing complications among stroke survivors. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a self-care educational program on self-care ability among post-stroke patients. Methods: This quasi-experimental pretest–posttest study was conducted in selected hospitals in Tabriz, Iran, in 2025. In total, 60 post-stroke patients were assigned to an intervention group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 30). The intervention group received a structured self-care educational program, whereas the control group received routine care. The primary outcome was self-care ability, measured using the Perceived Self-Care Ability Questionnaire (PSCA) at baseline, immediately after the intervention, and 1 month post-intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: A total of 60 post-stroke patients were included (30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group). The mean age was 61.4 ± 11.0 years in the intervention group and 54.3 ± 10.0 years in the control group. Men comprised 70.0% and 53.3% of the intervention and control groups, respectively. The intervention group was significantly older than the control group, whereas the sex distribution did not differ significantly. The prespecified primary analysis compared total PSCA scores at the one-month follow-up using ANCOVA adjusted for baseline PSCA score, age, and living arrangement. The adjusted between-group mean difference was 1.0 point (95% CI −3.0 to 5.0; P = 0.62). Adjusted analyses conducted immediately after the intervention and repeated-measures analyses were secondary and did not demonstrate evidence of superiority of the multicomponent self-care intervention over usual care. Conclusions: A structured self-care educational program provided no additional benefit over usual care in improving perceived self-care ability among post-stroke patients during the 1-month follow-up. Improvements in perceived self-care ability were observed in both groups, suggesting that self-care education alone may be insufficient to achieve meaningful improvements in perceived self-care ability. Further multicenter studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up are needed to determine the long-term effectiveness of structured self-care education after stroke.