Health Beliefs and Compliance with a Skin Care Regimen

The Health Belief Model has been proposed as a model for understanding adherence to health care regimens. This study examined the variables of the Health Belief Model in relation to compliance with a skin care regimen in a group of paraplegic patients. It was found that the perceived severity of pressure sores, the perceived efficacy of skin care, and the sum of the participant's beliefs about skin care were positively related to compliance with skin care. The perceived susceptibility to pressure sores and perceived barriers to skin care were not found to be significantly correlated with compliance with skin care. These findings suggest that patient teaching in skin care for the paraplegic patient may be more effective in increasing compliance with skin care if it emphasizes (a) information about the severity of pressure sores, (b) knowledge and techniques of skin care, and (c) evidence of efficient skin care.