Effect of telenursing on quality of life of patients with atrial fibrillation referred to the teaching hospitals in Qazvin

  Background: Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias that occurs 1: 100. Long duration of treatment needs continuous education and follow up that can be achieved by modern nursing techniques such as telenursing.   Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of telenursing on quality of life of patients with atrial fibrillation.   Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 100 Patients with atrial fibrillation referred to the teaching hospitals affiliated to Qazvin University of Medical Sciences in 2014. The patients were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly divided into two groups (intervention and control). In the intervention group, phone calls were made to follow up and to educate patients for 12 weeks. Quality of life was measured before and after the intervention using the SF-36 questionnaire . Data were analyzed using paired T-test, Chi-square test, and T-test.   Findings: In the intervention group, the mean quality of life score was significantly increased from 64.88±10.8 before the intervention to 76.14±9.2 after the intervention. In the control group, the mean quality of life score was significantly decreased from 62.6±9.7 before the intervention to 60.05±6.95 after the intervention.   Conclusion: With regards to the results, it seems that telenursing can increase the patients’ quality of life and can provide better nursing care.