Orem's Self-Care Model with Multiple Sclerosis Patients' Balance and Motor Function

Abstract

Orem's self-care model has been introduced as a nursing model to empower participants with chronic diseases. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of nursing interventions using Orem's self-care model with multiple sclerosis participants' balance and motor function. Sixty-three participants with multiple sclerosis were randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The nursing intervention using Orem's self-care model was performed for eight sessions of 45-60 minutes in the intervention group. In the intervention group, a significant increase (improvement) was observed in the mean scores of balance before (17.09 ± 1.97) and after the intervention (33.75 ± 6.01). A significant decrease (improvement) was observed in the mean of motor functions before (4.12 ± 0.34) and after the intervention (1.59 ± 0.71) (p = 0.001). However, no significant difference existed in the mean scores of balance (p = 0.10) and motor function in the control group (p = 0.20). The nursing intervention using Orem's self-care model improved balance and motor function of participants with multiple sclerosis.

Keywords: Orem’s self-care model; balance; motor function; multiple sclerosis.