The Effect of Family Empowerment Model on Quality of Life in Children with Epilepsy in South of Iran, 2018: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

OBJECTIVES: Epilepsy is a chronic disease of the nervous system, which remarkably affects children’s performance and behaviors. Epileptic children are at greater risk of cognitive and behavioral disorders compared to healthy children. In this regard, a variety of factors associated with this disease may affect the patients' families. MATERIALS & METHODS: The present study was a randomized controlled clinical trial, which aimed to evaluate the effect of family empowerment on the quality of life in epileptic children referred to the concerned centers (the Bessat Clinic affiliated to the Kerman University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz’s Imam Reza Clinic). The participants, who were 80 parents with epileptic children meeting the inclusion criteria, were assigned into two experimental and control groups. In this study, the Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy Questionnaire (QOLCE) was used to collect the required data from the parents. RESULTS: The studied children’s age ranged from 4-8 years. These results revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the level of changes in all dimensions, indicating that the experimental group’s mean score of quality of life in different dimensions increased (P <0.05 in all dimensions). CONCLUSION: The implementation of the family-centered care plan by care providers, based on patient-family support relationships, the detection of their strengths and weaknesses, prioritization of the provided services, and effective interaction with the health team would increase the family and staff’s satisfaction, reduce the costs, and improve the outcome of the disease.