Effect of Implementing Continuous Care Model on the Health Promoting Lifestyle in Breast Cancer Survivors – A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer poses a severe threat to women's health worldwide as it is the most common cancer diagnosed in women and the primary cause of mortality for female patients. Aim: The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of implementing continuous care model on the health promoting lifestyle of breast cancer survivors.
Design: A quasi-experimental research design (intervention & control group) was used. Setting: The present study was conducted at medical clinics at Oncology Center at Mansoura University Hospital (MUH) affiliated to Mansoura University and Ministry of Higher Education, Dakahlia governorate, Egypt.
Sampling: A purposive sample of 80 female breast cancer survivors. Tools of data collection: A Structured Interview Questionnaire was consisted of general characteristics and clinical information of the studied women, Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile Scale, and General Health Questionnaire-28.
Results: The present study revealed there was a significant improvement of all domains of health promoting life style mean score of the intervention group than control group (P < 0.001). In which the total health promoting life style of intervention group changed from 86.10 ± 13.48 pre intervention to138.40 ± 16.84 post intervention, while control slightly elevated from 88.03 ± 8.93 pre intervention to 88.28 ± 8.71 post intervention with high statistically significant differences (p > 0.05).
Conclusion and Recommendation: Continuous Care Model had a positive and significant effect on the health-promoting lifestyle of breast cancer survivors. Women who received the intervention exhibited marked improvements in all dimensions of health-promoting life style. So, incorporating the Continuous Care Model into routine nursing care and survivorship programs for breast cancer survivors is mandatory.