The effects of health perceptions on the self-care behavior of cardiovascular surgery intensive care patients

The research was carried out in a descriptive and cross-sectional manner between 1 March 2022 and 1 May 2022 in order to examine the effects of cardiovascular surgery intensive care patients' perceptions of health on their self-care behaviors. The population of the study consisted of 79 patients hospitalized in Erzurum Yakutiye Training and Research Hospital Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit. While collecting data, a patient identification form and European Self-Care Behavior Scale were used, which included questions about patients' sociodemographic and health-disease information. The data obtained in the research were analyzed using the SPSS 22 package program. The values of skewness and kurtosis in the normality of self-care behavior scores were examined. These values are in the range of±1, and the data distribution is normal (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2013). In the comparison of the scale scores according to the groups, independent groups t-test was used for the two-group independent variable, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was used for the independent variable with three or more groups. As a result of the data obtained, 64.6% of the participants were male and 35.4% were female. 32.9% of them are in the age range of 55-65, and 12.7% of them are in the age range of 70 and over. In the distribution by education level, it was seen that 32.9% were in primary school, and 25.3% were illiterate. It was observed that 24.1% of the patients lived in the village/town. It was observed that 46.8% of the patients had less income than their expenses, %7.6 did not have health insurance, and 30.4% were housewives according to their occupations. While 16.5% of the patients were smoking, 11.4% of them quit smoking. The distribution of the patients according to the type of operation was 73.4% of the patients with CABG, 24.1% of them were valve replacement and 2.5% of them were valve repair. The patients' total Self-Care Scale score was 33.6∓7.8, and the patients' self-care behavior scores according to their health perceptions were higher than the patients who thought the self-care behaviors were very good(n:51 mean:32.1∓7.7 p:0.024) (p<0.5). According to the patients' sports status, the self-care behavior scores of the patients who do not do sports are higher than those who do sports(n:27 mean:28.5∓6.3 p:0,00). Self-care behavior according to the smoking status of the patients behavior scores are higher than non-smokers(n: 13 mean:38.5∓7.9 p:0.025). According to the place where they live, the self-care behavior scores of the patients living in the village and the patients living in the province/county(n:43, mean:30,7∓6.4, p:0,00) are in the self-care behavior scores of the patients living in the village ( n:19, mean:39.4∓7.2) self-care behavior mean score was found to be higher. According to the (p<0.5) data scores, in this study, inadequacy was observed depending on the self-care power of the patients, smoking and living in a village. Keywords: Heart and vas, Intensive Care, Health perception, Self-care.