Application of protection motivation theory in epidemic prevention in patients with respiratory diseases under the COVID‐19 pandemic: A cross‐sectional study

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of nursing intervention based on protection motivation theory (PMT) on patients with respiratory diseases in the context of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. METHODS: A total of 74 patients with respiratory diseases who were hospitalized from June 2020 to February 2021 were enrolled and stratified into a control group (n = 37) and an experimental group (n = 37) according to a stratified random sampling method. The control group adopted a routine nursing intervention program of the respiratory department, whereas the experimental group received a PMT‐based nursing intervention program on the basis of the control group. Chronic Disease Self‐Management Study Measures (CDSMS) and Self‐Efficacy for Managing Chronic Diseases 6‐item Scale (SECD6) were used to evaluate the effect of PMT intervention before intervention, after 1 week, and after 4 weeks of intervention. The levels of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were measured to evaluate pulmonary function. RESULTS: Before the intervention, there were no significant differences in the scores of CDSMS and SECD6 scales and liver function indexes between the two groups (p > 0.05). After 1 and 4 weeks of intervention, the scores of CDSMS and SECD6 scales of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group (p < 0.0001). The indexes of pulmonary function of the experimental group were improved, but there was no significant difference compared with the control group (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Nursing intervention based on PMT contributes to the improvement of self‐management behaviors and self‐efficacy, which is conducive to the prognoses of patients.