Effect of Self-management Guidelines on Health Practices of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic brain and spinal cord disorder that can lead to disability.causing distressing physical and psychosocial problems.Self-management is the patient`s ability to manage those problems to live with this chronic condition.Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the effect of self-management guidelines on the health practices of patients with multiple sclerosis.Setting: Multiple Sclerosis Outpatient Clinic at Ain Shams University Hospital.Sample: A purposive sample includes 133 patients.Design: A quasiexperimental design was used.Tools: First tool: A structured interview questionnaire consisting of two parts was used.Part I: To assess the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients; Part II: To assess the patient's medical history; and Part III: To assess the patients' knowledge about multiple sclerosis disease.Second tool: To assess patients' selfmanagement of multiple sclerosis disease.Third tool: observational physical exercise checklist Fourth tool: To assess patients' health practices about multiple sclerosis disease. Results:The mean age of the studied patients was 35.69±5.97;females constituted 60.2% of the studied patients.Also, 81.2%, 80.5%, and 84.2% of them had satisfactory levels of knowledge, self-management, and health practices post-implementation of self-management guidelines, respectively.Moreover, there was a significant improvement in patients' bladder, bowel control, sexual activity, and satisfaction post-implementation of self-management guidelines.Conclusion: The implementation of self-management guidelines for patients with MS has a statistically positive effect on their health practices, which supports the stated hypothesis.Recommendations: Self-management guidelines should be included in the routine nursing care and rehabilitation process for patients with MS.