Use of the Orem self-care model on pain relief in women with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized trial

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Self-care is an important tool in controlling pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this study was to determine the use of the Orem self-care model on pain relief in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: This was a clinical trial performed on 60 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who referred to a rheumatology clinic in Karaj during 2013–2015 (30 patients in the control group and 30 patients in the intervention group), convenience sampling was done and subjects were divided into two groups randomly. Data collecting tools were a demographic questionnaire which consisted of 19 questions and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. The data result was analyzed by SPSS version 19, using independent-samples t-test and Chi square test. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: The mean age was 44.63±10.65 years, 90% were married and 35% had a high school diploma. The results showed a significant difference in three measures of pain in the intervention group (p=0.001), while in the control group, this difference was not significant (p=0.59). CONCLUSION: According to the results, the Orem self-care model is effective in reducing pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis Therefore, applying the Orem self-care model is recommended to promote and maintain self-care behavior in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered at the Iran Registry of Clinical Trials (http://en.irct.ir) with code IRCT2014052517840N1. FUNDING: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.